SA20 2027 Auction: Date, Team Purses, Players and Rules
The SA20 2027 auction takes place on Wednesday, 7 October 2026, with 19 player places available across four teams. Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape will bid to complete their regular squads for Betway SA20 Season 5. Player registration closed on 14 September.
SA20 auction team purses and available slots
The four bidding teams have a combined R35.025 million remaining. These figures are their available balances after earlier recruitment, not each team’s original salary cap.
| Team | Remaining purse | Auction places | Under-23 players still required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joburg Super Kings | R20.6 million | 6 | At least 1 |
| MI Cape Town | R9.35 million | 6 | At least 1 |
| Pretoria Capitals | R1.475 million | 5 | Minimum already met |
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R3.6 million | 2 | Minimum already met |
| Total | R35.025 million | 19 |
JSK’s R20.6 million is more than the other three purses combined, R14.425 million. Pretoria face the tightest budget, with five places to fill from R1.475 million. Those figures suggest very different bidding options, even before the player list is known.
Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals have already completed their 19-player squads and have no auction vacancies.
JSK also have a separate wildcard to announce. Their six auction slots plus that wildcard make seven outstanding squad places; the wildcard is outside the 19 auction vacancies shown above.
SA20 2027 auction timeline
| Stage | Date or status |
|---|---|
| Retention window closed | 31 July 2026 |
| Retained players and pre-signings announced | 5 August 2026 |
| Player registration opened | 24 August 2026 |
| Registration deadline | 14 September 2026, 17:00 SAST |
| Player auction | 7 October 2026 |
| Auction results | Pending the auction |
| JSK wildcard deadline | 30 December 2026 |
| Replacement signings | As officially announced when required |
The auction happens in 2026 for the tournament played in 2027. Season 5 runs from 17 January to 21 February; see the SA20 2027 schedule for fixtures.
Retentions and pre-signings already confirmed
Franchises settled most of their recruitment before the auction. These nine pre-signings are already attached to teams:
| Team | Confirmed pre-signings |
|---|---|
| Durban’s Super Giants | Sam Curran |
| Joburg Super Kings | Jason Holder |
| MI Cape Town | Will Jacks |
| Paarl Royals | Azmatullah Omarzai; Joe Root, wildcard |
| Pretoria Capitals | Phil Salt; Matthew Short |
| Sunrisers Eastern Cape | Mitchell Marsh; Rishad Hossain |
Their presence in Season 5 announcements does not make them auction purchases. The SA20 2027 squads page lists every announced player with retained, pre-signed or wildcard status.
Faf du Plessis is on JSK’s not-retained list; Trent Boult and Kieron Pollard were not retained by MI Cape Town. That status alone does not confirm registration or a place on the auction shortlist.
Player registration and the auction shortlist
The published registration window ran from 24 August to 14 September 2026, closing at 17:00 South African Standard Time. That deadline was 20:00 in Pakistan and 20:30 in India.
Under the official player registration announcement, registration allows a player to express interest in selection. It does not award a franchise contract.
A verified final Season 5 auction shortlist, player-by-player reserve prices and auction sets are still awaited. Until that list is available, released players and reported applicants should not be presented as confirmed auction entrants.
What each player status means
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Retained | Kept by the franchise for the new season. |
| Pre-signed | Signed before the auction through the permitted pre-signing process. |
| Wildcard | Occupies the designated wildcard place in a squad. |
| Registered | Submitted interest for consideration; no team contract is implied. |
| Shortlisted | Included in the official auction list; still available for bidding. |
| Sold | Acquired by a franchise through a confirmed successful bid. |
| Unsold | Offered at auction without a successful bid at that stage. |
| Released / not retained | Not kept by the previous team; registration and future selection remain separate. |
| Replacement | Officially signed to take another squad member’s place, with any temporary terms specified. |
A player can move between statuses. Someone initially unsold may later secure a contract, but only an announced signing changes their status.
How the 7 October auction works
Teams bid for shortlisted players within their remaining budgets and squad requirements. A player’s reserve price is the minimum signing amount; bidding can take the price higher.
| Rule | Season 5 requirement |
|---|---|
| Original salary cap | R42 million per team |
| Squad size | 19 players, including one wildcard |
| Regular squad | 18 players: at least 11 South Africans and no more than 7 overseas players |
| Youth requirement | At least two qualifying South African Under-23 players |
| Under-23 age cutoff | Aged 23 or younger on 16 January 2027 |
Eligible Under-23 players can have previous SA20 experience. They are retained or bought in the regular auction, with no separate Under-23 draft.
How the wildcard place works
A wildcard can be South African or overseas. The player counts towards the 19-member squad, but their league fee sits outside the salary cap.
Five teams have named their wildcards; JSK’s remains pending. These requirements follow the official Season 5 auction rules.
SA20 auction results: sold and unsold players
Season 5 auction results are pending because bidding takes place on 7 October. No highest auction price or final sold-and-unsold list can be established before the event.
A sold-player result needs a player name, buying team and winning price. A reserve price is only the starting minimum. Retention announcements and pre-signings belong to earlier recruitment, even when a fee is reported.
An initial unsold result may also change if a player is brought back into bidding. Final auction outcomes should therefore be distinguished from intermediate updates.
Replacement signings after the auction
SA20 says the auction registration list also supplies the pool from which replacement players are selected during the competition. Registration can therefore remain relevant after auction day without guaranteeing a contract.
A replacement announcement should identify the incoming player, franchise and player being replaced, plus any stated availability period. Temporary cover should remain labelled as temporary rather than being treated as a permanent departure for the original player.