The SA20 2026 auction, which took place on September 9, saw franchises spend over R129 million to fill 84 player slots and finalize their squads for the upcoming season. The event was highlighted by a record-breaking bidding war and several marquee international players going unsold.
SA20 2026 auction: Record-breaking buys and notable unsold players
The biggest headline of the auction was the record-breaking purchase of young South African batter Dewald Brevis, who was bought by the Pretoria Capitals for a staggering R16.5 million (approximately INR 8.3 crore). This deal made him the most expensive player in SA20 history.
His record broke the one that had been set just minutes before by fellow South African Aiden Markram, who was sold to the Durban Super Giants for R14 million. Both players’ massive price tags were a testament to their value in T20 cricket. Other significant sales included Wiaan Mulder going to Joburg Super Kings for R9 million and Nandre Burger for R6.3 million.
Despite the high-value deals, several well-known cricketers failed to attract bidders and went unsold. Among the most surprising names were South Africa’s Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma and renowned England fast bowler James Anderson. Other prominent international players who did not find a team were all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and England batter Jason Roy. These omissions highlighted the strategic and often unpredictable nature of the auction, where teams prioritize specific roles over a player’s general reputation.
Also READ: From Dewald Brevis to Quinton de Kock: Top 10 most expensive buys at SA20 2026 auction
Complete squads of all six teams after the players’ SA20 2026 auction
1. Sunrisers Eastern Cape
- Retained: Tristan Stubbs
- Wild Card: Marco Jansen
- Pre-signing: Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Adam Milne
- At the auction: Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Anrich Nortje, Senuran Muthusamy, Patrick Kruger, Lutho Sipamla, Mitchell van Buuren, Jordan Hermann, Beyers Swanepoel, James Coles, Chris Wood, Lewis Gregory, CJ King, JP King
2. Joburg Super Kings
- Retained: Faf du Plessis
- Wild Card: Donovan Ferreira
- Pre-signing: James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson
- At the auction: Wiaan Mulder, Nandre Burger, Prenalen Subrayen, Dian Forrester, Steve Stolk, Janco Smit, Neil Timmers, Shubham Ranjane, Brandon King, Rilee Rossouw, Rivaldo Moonsamy, Imran Tahir, Reece Topley
3. MI Cape Town
- Retained: Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch
- Wild Card: Kagiso Rabada
- Pre-signing: Nicholas Pooran
- At the auction: Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, Tristan Luus, Jason Smith, Tom Moores, Dane Piedt, Tian van Vuuren, Dan Lategan, Tabraiz Shamsi, Karim Janat, Jacques Snyman
4. Paarl Royals
- Retained: Lhuan-dre Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin
- Wild Card: Rubin Hermann
- Pre-signing: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- At the auction: Ottneil Baartman, Gudakesh Motie, Delano Potgieter, Kyle Verreynne, Keagan Lion-Cachet, Asa Tribe, Hardus Viljoen, Jacob Johannes Basson, Dan Lawrence, Eshan Malinga, Nqobani Mokoena, Vishen Halambage, Nqaba Peter
5. Durban Super Giants
- Retained: Noor Ahmad
- Wild Card: Heinrich Klaasen
- Pre-signing: Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler
- At the auction: Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Devon Conway, Gerald Coetzee, David Bedingham, Marques Ackermann, Eathan Bosch, Andile Simelane, Tony de Zorzi, Dayyaan Galiem, Taijul Islam, Evan Jones, Gysbert Wege, David Wiese, Daryn Dupavillon
6. Pretoria Capitals
- Retained: Will Jacks
- Wild Card: Andre Russell
- Pre-signing: Sherfane Rutherford
- At the auction: Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Dewald Brevis, Lizaad Williams, Craig Overton, Saqib Mahmood, Codi Yusuf, Connor Esterhuizen, Bryce Parsons, Gideon Peters, Junaid Dawood, Will Smeed, Meeka-eel Prince, Bayanda Majola, Wihan Lubbe, Sibonelo Makhanya
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