Strong line up of T20 International stars up for grabs at Betway SA20 Season 3 player auction

Among the intriguing players on the list are Shamar Joseph, Qais Ahmad, Josh Little, Saqib Mahmood, Kamindu Mendis, and Martin Guptill.

Wednesday, September 25, 2024: On October 1, in Cape Town, there will be a Betway SA20 Season 3 player auction featuring close to 200 domestic and international T20 cricket players. There are fourteen nations represented in the field; the primary auction consists of 73 foreign players and 115 South African players.

The short-list revealed today highlights the global popularity across the league, which attracted nearly 600 applications during the player registration period before the list was narrowed for the final auction list.

Shamar Joseph, the fast bowling sensation from the West Indies, and Matthew Forde, his partner, are ranked #1 and #2, respectively.

Joseph gained notoriety earlier this year when he led the Windies to their first Test victory over Australia in 27 years with an incredible seven-wicket haul. Since then, he has followed up his debut effort with more inspiring performances in Test and T20I cricket.

This list also includes Ireland's left-arm seamer Josh Little, who will be looking to return to South Africa's premier T20 competition after playing for the Pretoria Capitals during the inaugural season, and the England fast bowling quartet of Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson, and Josh Hull.

Martin Guptill, the record-breaking T20I opener from New Zealand, might provide one of the six teams with some formidable batting strength, while Kamindu Mendis, the rising star from Sri Lanka, will also be  up for the taking.

Top domestic players in South Africa have also submitted their names, with Reeza Hendricks, the reigning SA T20 Cricket Player of the Year, at the top of the list.

Graeme Smith, the League Commissioner, anticipates another exciting, high-stakes auction, with just 13 spots available:

"Many of the top players in the international T20 circuit have already committed for season 3, and I'm excited to watch how the teams narrow down their rosters from this strong player auction list."

The Rookie player draft, which was introduced and proved successful in Season 2, will be back following the main auction. A South African athlete who is 22 years of age or younger on the day of the auction and has never had a contract with SA20 is considered a rookie.

Players who fit the description of a rookie may be purchased during the regular auction phase. If they are not selected during the regular auction, they will be qualified for the upcoming Rookie draft, which will happen after the regular auction.

The fact that two replacement Rookies and five of the six Rookies chosen at the most recent auction are included in the rosters of the teams they represent for Season 3 is testament to the quality of South African talent.

Even if they still fulfill the age criteria, a player who joined up as a rookie last season cannot be purchased as a rookie during the auction on October 1. 

A minimum of ten South African players, a maximum of seven foreign players, a rookie, and a wildcard player are required for every squad, which totals 19.

The Joburg Super Kings are the only team left with the opportunity to choose the Wildcard player for Season 3. They have till December 30 to make their decision.

The Paarl Royals will spend the most money in the auction—R11.950 million. Next with an expenditure of R8.275 million are MI Cape Town, Western Cape neighbors, and Pretoria Capitals, with a spending of R4.575 million.

The reigning champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape have R2.845 million to spend, while the Johannesburg Super Kings have R3.925 million. The Super Giants of Durban, the runners-up from the previous season, had R2.35 million left in their bankroll.

On October 1, at 16:15 SAST, SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), Viacom (India), and Sky Sports (UK) will live stream the auction. Keep up with the live coverage on all Betway SA20 social media channels. The Betway SA20 YouTube channel will also be providing live streaming of the proceedings: https://www.youtube.com/live/BGu4PDKN7rI

Remaining squad berths and team purses

Complete squad list prior to the Season 3 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.

Remarks

The complete roster of participants for the auction may be found HERE and is attached.

Attached is the Rookie List for the Rookie draft.

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LeratoM@sa20.co.za

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