Pretoria Capitals 2027: Squad, Schedule and Auction Updates
Pretoria Capitals have announced 14 players for Betway SA20 Season 5, including Phil Salt and Matthew Short. Keshav Maharaj remains captain, with Sourav Ganguly as head coach. Five auction places are still available. The Capitals start against Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the tournament opener on 17 January 2027.
Pretoria Capitals squad 2027: confirmed players
The Capitals have retained 12 players, including wildcard Andre Russell, and added Phil Salt and Matthew Short as pre-signings. The 14 announced names below form the current squad ahead of the auction.
This list follows SA20’s official Season 5 squad announcement. Five additions are still needed to complete the 19-player roster.
| Player | Country | Season 5 status |
|---|---|---|
| Dewald Brevis | South Africa | Retained |
| Connor Esterhuizen | South Africa | Retained |
| Wihan Lubbe | South Africa | Retained |
| Keshav Maharaj | South Africa | Retained; captain |
| Bayanda Majola | South Africa | Retained; Under-23 |
| Lungi Ngidi | South Africa | Retained |
| Bryce Parsons | South Africa | Retained |
| Gideon Peters | South Africa | Retained |
| Andre Russell | West Indies | Retained wildcard |
| Sherfane Rutherford | West Indies | Retained |
| Lizaad Williams | South Africa | Retained |
| Codi Yusuf | South Africa | Retained |
| Phil Salt | England | Pre-signed |
| Matthew Short | Australia | Pre-signed |
Pretoria Capitals schedule 2027
Pretoria Capitals face Sunrisers Eastern Cape at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on 17 January 2027 at 15:30 SAST. The opening match starts at 18:30 in Pakistan and 19:00 in India.
The Capitals have ten league fixtures, split between five home and five away matches. All dates below are in 2027, and times are South African Standard Time, SAST (UTC+2).
See the complete SA20 2027 schedule for all six teams and the playoff programme.
| Date | Opponent | Home/away | Venue | SAST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | Away | St George’s Park, Gqeberha | 15:30 |
| 19 January | Durban’s Super Giants | Home | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 17:30 |
| 23 January | Durban’s Super Giants | Away | Kingsmead, Durban | 13:00 |
| 26 January | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | Home | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 17:30 |
| 29 January | Paarl Royals | Away | Boland Park, Paarl | 17:30 |
| 31 January | Paarl Royals | Home | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 15:30 |
| 5 February | Joburg Super Kings | Home | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 17:30 |
| 7 February | Joburg Super Kings | Away | Wanderers, Johannesburg | 15:30 |
| 12 February | MI Cape Town | Home | SuperSport Park, Centurion | 17:30 |
| 14 February | MI Cape Town | Away | Newlands, Cape Town | 15:30 |
Phil Salt returns and Matthew Short joins the Capitals
Phil Salt returns to a franchise he represented in the first two SA20 seasons. He scored 354 runs across those campaigns and was part of Pretoria’s run to the inaugural final in 2023.
The England wicketkeeper-batter joins Australian all-rounder Matthew Short as a pre-signed addition to the top order. Short brings opening-batting experience with Adelaide Strikers and an off-spin option. He won consecutive Big Bash League Player of the Tournament awards in 2022–23 and 2023–24.
Their arrival changes Pretoria’s opening options while Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell remain in the retained group. The final batting order will depend on selection and player availability.
Which players were not retained?
SA20 lists 13 players as not retained by Pretoria Capitals for Season 5:
Roston Chase, Jordan Cox, Junaid Dawood, Keith Dudgeon, Shai Hope, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Sibonelo Makhanya, Tymal Mills, Craig Overton, Meeka-eel Prince, Will Smeed and Daniel Smith.
The list includes temporary and replacement players from the previous campaign.
Pretoria Capitals auction purse and available places
Pretoria Capitals have five places to fill at the 7 October 2026 auction, with R1.475 million remaining. That is the smallest available purse among the four teams still recruiting through the auction.
| Auction detail | Pretoria Capitals status |
|---|---|
| Auction date | 7 October 2026 |
| Confirmed players | 14 |
| Available auction places | 5 |
| Remaining purse | R1.475 million |
| Wildcard | Andre Russell, already included |
| Full squad size | 19 players |
Russell’s wildcard place is already occupied. The five available places are regular squad vacancies, and wildcard fees fall outside the league’s salary cap.
For Pretoria, the remaining budget makes the final five selections particularly important: the franchise needs to complete its squad within that allowance. Compare the other teams’ positions in the SA20 2027 auction guide.
Who are Pretoria Capitals’ captain and coach?
Keshav Maharaj is Pretoria Capitals’ captain for SA20 2027. The South African left-arm spinner continues in the role he took on for Season 4.
Sourav Ganguly remains head coach. The former India captain also began his Pretoria coaching tenure in Season 4, when the Capitals reached the final.
SuperSport Park: home matches and tickets
Pretoria Capitals play their home matches at SuperSport Park in Centurion, Gauteng. The venue is also the home of the Titans domestic cricket team.
Their first home fixture is against Durban’s Super Giants on 19 January. Supporters can check the official Pretoria Capitals ticketing page for Season 5 early-access registration. SA20 says general ticket sales are planned for later in 2026.
Compare the Capitals with the other SA20 teams for their home venues and squad updates.
Pretoria’s 2026 final and the Season 5 opener
Pretoria Capitals enter 2027 as the previous season’s runners-up. In the 2026 final at Newlands, Dewald Brevis scored 101 from 56 balls, but Sunrisers Eastern Cape chased down Pretoria’s 158/7 to win by six wickets.
The Capitals also lost the inaugural 2023 final to Sunrisers, leaving them without an SA20 title. Their opening fixture in 2027 brings an immediate rematch with the team that has beaten them in both finals.