SA20 Archives

No Pakistani among 541 players in SA20 2025-26 auction

The player auction for the 2025-26 SA20 season will take place on September 9 in Johannesburg, featuring a record pool of 541 cricketers. However, there are no players from Pakistan on the list.

Franchises will have R131 million (US$7.37m) to spend as they fill 84 available slots across six squads.

Each team will comprise 19 players, with rules requiring at least nine South Africans, a maximum of seven overseas cricketers, and two under-23 locals.

Organisers revealed that more than 800 players had initially registered, before the shortlist was trimmed to 541, 300 South Africans and 241 from overseas.

Despite the depth of talent, Pakistani players remain absent, continuing a trend since the league’s launch.

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It’s worth noting that all six SA20 franchises are owned by the owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams.

Notable international names in the upcoming SA20 auction include England’s James Anderson, Moeen Ali, and Alex Hales, as well as Bangladesh stars Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman.

D’Arcy Short and Peter Hatzoglou are the only two Australians listed due to scheduling clashes with the Big Bash League (BBL).

The list also features 28 West Indians, 97 English, 14 Bangladeshi, 24 Sri Lankan, and Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee.

The SA20 will run from December 26, 2025, to January 25, 2026, featuring MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, Durban’s Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals, and Pretoria Capitals.

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Naseem Shah among international players registered for SA20 auction

The auction for the upcoming third edition of South Africa’s SA20 is set to take place in Cape Town on October 1, featuring 75 international stars across the globe, including Pakistan’s pace sensation Naseem Shah.

The SA20 2025 will commence on January 9, clashing with Australia’s Big Bash League, UAE’s ILT20 and New Zealand’s Super Smash.

A total of 115 South African players will be participating in the auction alongside international players from 14 different countries.

It’s worth noting that among almost 200 players in the auction, only 13 players will be picked to join six franchise teams.

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Other than Naseem Shah, the SA20 auction will feature notable international players like Shamar Joseph, Josh Little, Saqib Mahmood, Qais Ahmad, and Kamindu Mendis.

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith, who is serving as the commissioner of SA20, expressed optimism and enthusiasm for the upcoming edition.

“Some of the biggest names on the international T20 circuit have already signed up for season 3 and I am looking forward to seeing how the teams finalise their squads from this competitive auction list of players,” he stated.

Squads ahead of SA20 auction

Durban’s Super Giants: Brandon King (West Indies), Quinton De Kock, Naveen Ul Haq (Afghanistan), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Chris Woakes (England), Prenelan Subrayen, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Noor Ahmed (Afghanistan), Heinrich Klaasen, Jon-Jon Smuts, Wiaan Mulder, Junior Dala, Bryce Parsons, Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Marcus Stoinis (Australia)

Joburg Super Kings: Faf Du Plessis, Moeen Ali (England), Jonny Bairstow (England), Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka), Devon Conway (New Zealand), Gerald Coetzee, David Wiese (Namibia), Leus Du Plooy (England), Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Imran Tahir, Sibonelo Makhanya, Tabraiz Shamsi

MI Cape Town: Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Ben Stokes (England), Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult (New Zealand), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Dewald Brevis, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka), Connor Esterhuizen, Delano Potgieter, Rassie Van der Dussen, Thomas Kaber, Chris Benjamin (England), Corbin Bosch

Pretoria Capitals: Anrich Nortje, Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand), Will Jacks (England), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Liam Livingstone (England), Will Smeed (England), Migael Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw, Eathan Bosch, Wayne Parnell, Senuran Muthusamy, Kyle Verreynne, Daryn Dupavillon, Steve Stolk, Tiaan van Vuuren

Paarl Royals: David Miller, Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Sam Hain (England), Joe Root (England), Dinesh Karthik (India), Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Van Buuren, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter, Andile Phehlukwayo, Codi Yusuf, John Turner (England), Dayyaan Galiem, Jacob Bethell (England)

Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram, Zak Crawley (England), Roelof van der Merwe (Netherlands), Liam Dawson (England), Ottneil Baartman, Marco Jansen, Beyers Swanepoel, Caleb Seleka, Tristan Stubbs, Jordan Hermann, Patrick Kruger, Craig Overton (England), Tom Abell (England), Simon Harmer, Andile Simelane, David Bedingham

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Sunrisers Eastern Cape thrash Pretoria Capitals to win inaugural SA20 title

JOHANNESBURG: Roelof van der Merwe’s magnificent spell powered Sunrisers Eastern Cape to bundle out Pretoria Capitals for 135 before Adam Rossington’s half-century led the side to lift the inaugural SA20 title.

Put into bat first, the Capitals’ batting lineup faltered in the biggest stage of the league as they could only pile 135 before being bundled out in the final over.

Experienced all-rounder van der Merwe led the bowling carnage on the Capitals as he returned with astounding figures of 4/31 in his quota of four overs.

Besides him, Ottniel Baartman and Sisanda Magala added to the misery of the Capitals by picking two wickets each, while Aiden Markram and Marco Jansen struck out a batter apiece.

Opening batter Kusal Mendis remained the top scorer for the Capitals in their dismal batting display in the final against the Sunrisers.

Set to chase a meagre 136, the Sunrisers soared through in the 17th over for the loss of six wickets at the back of a magnificent half-century from their opening batter Rossington.

The right-handed top-scored for the Sunrisers in the final as he scored a quickfire 57 off just 30 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and five sixes.

Skipper Markram (26) and Jordan Hermann (22) made vital contributions with the bat before Jansen (11) steered his side over the line.

For the Capitals, Anrich Nortje bagged two wickets while James Neesham, Colin Ingram, Adil Rashid and Eathan Bosch picked up a wicket each.

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Markram ton powers Eastern Cape to SA20 final

CENTURION: Aiden Markram smashed his maiden T20 hundred as Sunrisers Eastern Cape thumped Joburg Super Kings in the high-scoring second semifinal of the inaugural SA20 on Thursday.

Captain Markram blasted 100 from just 58 deliveries, steering Sunrisers to 213/5, a peak that proved insurmountable for Joburg Super Kings despite a brave fightback from Reeza Hendrick.

Batting on the invitation of Faf du Plessis, Sunrisers went through a jittery start as they slipped to 10/2 inside the second over. Lizaad Williams set up this perfect launch for Super Kings but Markram and Jordan Hermann intercepted their high flight.

The two gathered 98 runs from 70 balls and took Sunriser to 109/2 in 13 overs before Hermann was run out for 48 while looking to steal an extra run against the throwing arm of Williams.

Markram, however, continued his momentum and brought up his century in the 19th over with a six over Williams, who then dismissed him and Tristan Stubbs (20 off 11) in the same over.

Sunrisers went past the past 180-mark in the 19th over and would have been happy with anything near 200 but a deflating 27-run over gave them an extra mile in the game.

In reply, JSK were unsettled early in the chase when captain de Plessis fell on the very first ball, trying to pull Sisanda Magala. Marco Jansen then handed another blow in the next over, dismissing Leus du Pllloy on a duck.

Hendrick, who smacked 11 fours and four maximums during his valiant knock of 54-ball 96, tried to salvage his side but his lone heroics were not quite enough to chase a mammoth target.

While Mathew Wade and Donovan Ferreira contributed 19 and 20 respectively, Romario Shepherd punched 38 off just 14 balls as Super Kings finished with 199.

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Pretoria Capitals beat Paarl Royals to reach SA20 final

JOHANNESBURG: Rilee Rossouw fired in with a 41-ball 56 before bowlers took the charge and steered Pretoria Capitals to the SA20 final after they edged Paarl Royals by 29 runs in the first semifinal on Wednesday.

Rossouw’s valiant fifty helped Pretoria Capitals reach a respectable total of 153/8 in the 20 overs after they were put into bat.

Paarl Royals, in reply, were bundled out for a mere 124 runs thanks to a brilliant combined effort by Capitals’ bowlers.

Eathan Bosch, Anrich Nortje, Adil Rashid and James Neesham took two wickets each as Capitals kept Paarl Royals’ batting line unsettled throughout the chase.

Capitals proved to be a much better side on the second consecutive day after they crushed the Royals by 59 runs in Centurion on Wednesday.

However, a different surface in Johannesburg, which offered something to both the fast bowlers as well as the spinners, made the win a bit more laborious for the Capitals. They were reduced to 51/3 in the ninth over with Phil Salt, Kusal Mendis and stand-in captain Theunis de Bruyn back in the camp.

Rossouw then held on the fort but received little support from the other end as Colin Ingram and James Neesham fell in quick succession. The left-hander, however, continued his tempo and showed some fireworks in the late overs, hitting Lungi Ngidi for four boundaries in the 18th over.

Eathan Bosch smashed three fours and a maximum in his 10-ball 22 while Rashid was able to hit two fours in the final over to take Pretoria past the 150 mark.

Royals, on the other hand, went through a dismal start as opener Jason Roy was cut short on a duck by Bosch on the second ball of the innings. Bosch then handed a fateful jolt on the first ball of his second over, cleaning up the in-form Jos Buttler.

Paul Stirling tried to salvage the Royals by clubbing three fours and a six but was trapped LBW right after the powerplay off Adil Rashid, who then went on to hunt Dane Vilas with a googly to leave Paarl 72/4 after 10 overs.

Albeit brief contributions from Eoin Morgan (17 from 13) and David Miller (31 from 27) from there onwards, the Royals never looked in control of the game and threw away the chase in the 19th over.

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Royals crawl into SA20 semifinal despite huge defeat against Capitals

CENTURION: Paarl Royals managed to advance into the SA20 semifinal with a very thin margin despite facing a 59-run defeat at the hands of Pretoria Capitals in what became a dress rehearsal match on Tuesday.

The two teams will now face each other for the second time in 24 hours – in the first semifinal of the tournament today.

In the final league game, Preotia Capitals raised a mammoth 226/5 in the 20 overs after they were put into the bat, before leaving the Royals stranded on 167/9 during the chase.

Kusal Mendis hit an astounding knock of 80 from 41 balls, laced with eight fours and four maximums while James Neesham played a sweet cameo of 11-ball 22 to put Capitals in command in the first half of the match.

Neesham then shifted his momentum into the field as well and led the bowling charge as he picked up three wickets for 28 runs in his two overs.

With 163 required to make their way into the semifinals, Royals were more concerned about reaching that figure during the chase rather than the massive 227-run target.

Buttler put up a valiant fightback to keep the Royals in the qualification zone the as he raised 70 from 45 balls but received little support from the rest of his teammates. Eoin Morgan held on for while but once the former England captain and subsequently Paarl’s skipper David Miller fell, their chances to win the game had already been crushed.

Neesham was introduced late into the attack, yet managed two back-to-back wickets in the 16th over, dismissing Andile Phehlukwayo and Evan Jones, before perishing Buttler in the 19th.

Adil Rashid and Migael Pretorious also scalped two wickets each to put Pretoria Capitals on the right trajectory.

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Klaasen, bowlers storm Capitals to earn bonus for Super Giants

CENTURION: Heinrich Klaasen blasted an explosive century before bowlers wreaked havoc on Pretoria Capitals’ batting line to give Durban’s Super Giants a commanding 151-run victory and a bonus point in the SA20 on Sunday.

Klaasen made an unbeaten 104 from 44 balls as he led the fireworks alongside Mathew Breetzke to help Super Giants post a mammoth total of 254/4 after they were put into bat.

Capitals, in reply, collapsed completely during the chase as they were bundled out for a paltry 103 runs with more than six still left to be bowled.

Junior Dala led the bowling charge for Super Giant as he picked up three wickets for 33 runs while Dwaine Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder scalped two wickets each.

None of the Capitals’ batters managed to fire in as tailender Eathan Bosch top-scored for the side with his run-of-the-mill knock of 23 off 13.

Earlier, Super Giants held a phenomenal batting show as openers Quinton de Kock and Ben McDermott set the stage with a flourishing start. Skipper de Kock smashed 43 from 20 balls while his opening partner made 41 off 24.

After intermittent wickets between the 7th and 14th over, the last six overs of Super Giants’ innings witnessed an onslaught by Klaasen and Breetzke.

Klaasen smacked 10 fours and six maximums during his exception knock while Breetzke hit five fours and three sixes to make a quick-fire 46 from 21 balls.

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Rain plays spoilsport as Eastern Cape, Super Giants settle for points

DURBAN: The 25th match of the ongoing SA20 between home side Durban Super Giants and Sunrisers Eastern Cape has been abandoned due to persistent rain here.

Earlier, on the same matchday, another group fixture between Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals was abandoned at the same venue.

Following the abandonment, both sides will share a point each. The Eastern Cape reclaimed the second spot in the table with 19 points while the Super Giants climbed from the bottom to fifth place with 14 points.

The Eastern Cape will now face home side Joburg Super Kings in their next group match on February 5 (Sunday) whereas the Super Giants will compete against Pretoria Capitals later on the same day.

Earlier, before rain halted the action, the Eastern Cape, after being put into bat first, could raise 53/3 in 5.3 overs with English opening batter Adam Rossington smashing a brilliant 18-ball 35.

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Persistent rain washes out Royals-Super Kings clash in SA20

JOHANNESBURG: The 24th match of the ongoing SA20 between home side Joburg Super Kings and Paarl Royals has been abandoned due to persistent rain here.

Following the abandonment, both sides will share a point each. The Royals remained second in the table with 19 points while the Super Kings jumped to the third with 18 points.

The Super Kings will now face Sunrisers Eastern Cape in their next group match on February 5 (Sunday) at home whereas the Royals will compete against Pretoria Capitals on Tuesday.

Earlier, before rain halted the action, the Royals, after being put into bat first, piled 131/4 in 15 overs with English opening batter Jason Roy smashing a brilliant half-century.

The right-handed batter remained the top-scorer for his side with a 42-ball 61 featuring eight fours and three sixes, while his compatriot Jos Buttler could score 23 off 11.

Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Romario Shepherd and Donovan Ferreira could make one scalp each.

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De Kock, Breetzke power Super Giants to close win over Cape Town

DURBAN: Quinton de Kock smashed a brilliant half-century before Matthew Breetzke played a valiant knock of 39-ball 48 to help Durban’s Super Giants seal a thrilling five-wicket win over MI Cape Town with only one ball to spare on Thursday.

The first SA20 fixture following a nine-day gap kept the crowd on their toes as the two sides indulged in a see-saw contest which also saw Kagiso Rabada’s courageous fightback to defend the 166-run total.

Rassie van der Dussen and Tim David starred for MI Cape Town as the two stitched a 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket before Delano Potgieter smashed a quickfire 32 from 17 to steer Cape Town to a respectable total of 165 for 5 after they were put into bat.

Rabada showed his prowess in the later part of Super Giants’ batting as he picked up three wickets between the 17th and 19th overs but the home side held on to take a close win in the end.

Notching up 146 for the loss of just two in 16.2 overs, Super Giant were comfortable in their chase before Rabada struck down Keemo Paul (31 off 18) and Heinrich Klaasen (O off 2) in the next three deliveries. He went on to hunt Wiaan Mulder in his next over on 7 to bring life into a dull one-sided contest.

Skipper de Kock put Super Giants into the dominant position as he smashed seven fours and three sixes before he fell prey to David in the 12th over.

Breetzke, with whom de Kock gathered 65 runs on the second wicket, however, remained carried his bat till the last overshadowing Rabada’s blitz.

Earlier, van der Dussen hit 43 off 32 while David played a cautious knock of 26-ball 33 following early jolts by Super Giants’ Dwaine Pretorius, Mulder and Keshav Maharaj.

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