Cricket South Africa has confirmed that the SA20 auction will be held on September 9 in Johannesburg, marking the beginning of the fourth season of the country’s premier T20 Tournament. Compared to last year’s October auction, this earlier date signals a more aggressive start to the season, especially since there are no home Test matches scheduled in South Africa for the 2025-26 season. With Season 4 of SA20 set to run from December 26 to January 26, fans can expect a month-long cricket festival. The tournament will return to its usual January to mid-February window for the 2027 and editions.
SA20 Auction 2026:
This season is expected to see the biggest player reshuffle in SA20 history. Teams are only allowed to retain or pre-sign six players, fewer than in any previous season, which means 72 out of 108 total player slots will be decided through the auction. That’s a 63% turnover rate, promising a fresh and unpredictable lineup for all six franchises. Despite the reshuffle, the squad structure stays consistent: each team can sign up to 18 players with a maximum of 7 overseas players and at least 11 local(South African) players. The auction is set to begin on 9 September 2025 at Johannesburg and a total of 6 franchises will take part in this.
SA20 2026 Auction Venue
The player auction for SA20 2026 will be held in Johannesburg on September 9, marking the official start to the coming exciting season. With over 70 player slots available and major changes in team strategies, all eyes will be on Johannesburg as franchises battle it out to build their squads. The earlier auction date, moved up from last year’s October 1, reflects Cricket South Africa’s domestic calendar revamp.
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SA 20 Auction 2026 Retention Rules
- Each franchise can retain or pre-sign a maximum of 6 players ahead of the auction.
- Out of 6 retained players, only up to 3 can be overseas players. The remaining retained players must be South African,
- Right To Match(RTM) cards will be available during the auction.
- The number of RTM cards a team can use depends on how many South African players they retain.
- The retention limit is lower than in any previous SA20 Season, encouraging more player reshuffling.
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