SA20 gear up for fresh auction twist with RTM rule, revised salary cap and limited retentions
Published - 25 Jun 2025, 12:58 PM | Updated - 25 Jun 2025, 01:02 PM
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The upcoming fourth edition of the SA20 is all set for the biggest shake-up. The organizers have decided to allow only six players to be retained or pre-signed by each franchise, which means the upcoming SA20 Auction scheduled on September 9 will see a complete squad overhaul.
A total of 108 players are featured across the six franchises in the South African T20 league. After the change, 72 players out of the total 108 players will go under the hammer at the auction, meaning a whopping 63% of the player pool is open for bidding.
SA20 set for mega overhaul from next season
It means the teams will have to rebuild from scratch and hunt for game-changers for the upcoming SA20 2026. As reported by ESPNCricinfo, the salary cap has been increased to R41 million (approx. US$2.31 million).
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This makes SA20 the second-highest spending league in the T20 world after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Franchises are also allowed to bring in one wildcard player whose salary won’t count toward the cap, giving teams extra flexibility to chase big names.
Notably, all six SA20 teams are owned by IPL franchises.
SA20 introduces Right to Match and scrap Rookie Draft
While the salary structure has changed, team composition remains the same, as each squad can include up to 7 overseas players but must have at least 11 South African players. However, they have scrapped the rookie draft, and now the franchises must now sign a minimum of two under-23 players directly to encourage young talents to rise through the ranks in domestic cricket.
Meanwhile, franchisees will be able to use the Right to Match (RTM) option during the auction for the first time in SA20 history. If a player who represented a franchise in the previous season is picked by another team at the auction, then his former team can step in and match the winning bid through Right to Match (RTM) to bring him back.
But there is a twist. Actually, the number of RTMs depends on how many South Africans the team has retained. The more locals they hold on to, the more power they get at the auction table.
SA20 to kick off early on December 26, but format remains unchanged
On the other hand, there is also a change in the schedule for the next SA20 season. South Africa’s domestic franchise league will start earlier than usual next season. With no home Test matches this summer, the tournament will now begin on Boxing Day (December 26) and wrap up by January 26.
South Africa will play overseas games until mid-December, and some stadiums are being upgraded for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, which allows the organizers to start the tournament early in the 2025-26 season, but this change is only for the next season.
The T20 league will return to its regular January to mid-February window for the 2027 and 2028 seasons and may also see a slightly longer season during those years. Despite the adjustment, the format remains unchanged, with 6 teams competing in 34 matches across the tournament.
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