SA20 2025-26 Auction: Date, Rules, Purse Limit, Full Schedule & Key Updates

SA20 2025-26 Auction Date & Purse Limit 

The S20 2025-26 Players Auction to be held on September 9 in Johannesburg. This time, the SA20 league will have the second-biggest auction purse after the IPL. For the SA20 Season 4, each team has a salary cap of R40-million (19,14,47,640 Indian Rupees) to spend on players. This increased purse will increase the excitement among fans and players.

SA20 2025-26 Retention Rules

Now in SA20, franchises can retain 6 players in the auction, out of which 3 players will be foreign and 3 will be local. Thus, at least 36 players will be retained before the mega auction. Not only this, a franchise can have 19 players in its team, out of which a maximum of seven foreign players can be signed. Here, at least 11 slots have been reserved for local players. That means 66 players from South Africa are sure to join the league. And there will be at least 72 slots left for auction. Moreover, one wild-card signing will also be available for each of the six teams. Which means teams can sign a South African or overseas cricketer as their 'wild card player'. 

The main objective of this league is to bring forward the young talent of South Africa. Therefore, now the Rookie draft will be stopped, but in its place, every team will have to include at least two under-23 players in their final 19-member squad. A South African player who will be less than 22 years old on 25 December 2025, even if he has participated in the league before, will be considered under the Under-23 category and can be retained or purchased during the auction. Apart from this, for the first time in the SA20, Right-to-Match (RTM) cards will also be available, similar to the IPL, through which teams will be able to recall their players from the previous season to their team.

SA20 2025-26 Full Schedule 

The fourth season of the South African League will commence on 26 December 2025, with the final match scheduled for 25 January 2026. In the first match, MI Town and Durban Super Kings will face each other at Newlands, Cape Town. However, S20 management has not yet published the venue of the knockout matches. We hope they will decide on the venue soon.