Johannesburg, Oct 7 (IANS) The stage is set for the SA20 season 5 player auction as four franchises prepare to battle it out for 19 available squad slots with a total purse of 2.10 million USD here on Wednesday.
With Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals having already finalised their squads following an increase in the salary cap to 2.54 million USD for season five, the remaining four teams – Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and Pretoria Capitals, will enter the bidding room to complete their rosters.
Experienced presenter Dan Nicholl will hold the gavel for the first time, with former South Africa international stars Chris Morris and Neil McKenzie offering expert commentary as the proceedings unfold.
Joburg Super Kings, under new head coach Albie Morkel, possess the largest purse entering the auction at 1.245 million USD alongside an unallocated wildcard slot. Robin Peterson’s MI Cape Town enter with 565,150 USD while three-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, coached by Adrian Birrell, hold 217,600 USD. Shaun Pollock’s Pretoria Capitals carry 89,150 USD into the session.
Under league roster regulations, each 19-player squad must feature 18 registered core players – including a maximum of seven overseas players and a minimum of 11 South Africans (at least two of whom must be Under-23) – in addition to one wildcard player outside the standard salary cap. Both Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town must select at least one Under-23 player from the 48 players shortlisted in that bracket.
The auction structure comprises Marquee Mixed Set Rounds followed by a Nomination Express Round, where franchises can explicitly nominate individual players to bring to the table. The Right to Match (RTM) option will not be available to any of the participating teams for this auction.
Across the five seasons of the league, total auction spend on players has reached 70.75 million USD, producing career-defining moments for several homegrown talents. Reflecting on his entry into the league, Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Tristan Stubbs recalled his initial auction experience.
“I was very young, I was 20-something. I remember watching the Auction with my digs mates. We were jumping up and down. We couldn’t believe what just happened. No one really expected it. I didn’t expect it. It was quite overwhelming,” he said.
That record was later broken when Dewald Brevis was secured by Pretoria Capitals for 16.5 million rand ahead of season four, going on to help lead his side to the final. “Obviously, there are people that refer to the price tag, but for me I just remain Dewald and keep playing the game. I know why I play cricket, and I’m grateful for how the auction went, getting to represent my home team in Pretoria. We had an amazing time, and I really enjoyed it.”
Pretoria Capitals captain Keshav Maharaj pointed out that the element of unpredictability adds to the event’s atmosphere. “Going into the Auction, it’s a fear of the unknown. Once again, regardless of who you are, I think there’s always an element of where, price, if I’m going to get picked first of all.
“But throughout my career, I’ve always wanted an opportunity to play outside of Durban. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to experience that and experience a different culture towards cricket, which I would say was pretty phenomenal and second to nothing.”
For top-order batter Matthew Breetzke, the process demonstrated how the league can transform a player’s career trajectory – moving from a base price purchase of 10,576 USD by Durban’s Super Giants in the inaugural auction to a 368,000 USD move back home to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in season 4.
“I think the opportunity that the Durban’s Super Giants gave me was something that catapulted my career. During the Season 4 Auction, I was actually coming off a flight from I don’t know where and landed before I put my phone on and got all the messages that I was going back home.
“It was an incredibly special feeling for not only myself, but my family. The price tag was lovely, but just to be home and knowing I was going to be with the likes of Stubbo, (Marco) Jansen, and all these guys that I’ve played with in the past was really special,” added Breetzke.
–IANS
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