SA20 2026: Franchises allowed only six retentions for next season

Ankitjit Singh is a Sub-Editor at Khel Now, known for his in-depth knowledge of cricket.

Published at :June 24, 2025 at 7:39 PM

Modified at :June 24, 2025 at 7:39 PM

The SA20 2026 auction will take place on September 9.

The auction of SA20 2026 will see two-thirds of the player pool. This is because the franchises will be allowed to retain just six players this time around, which will be the least in the tournament’s short history. The auction for the fourth edition of the event will take place on September 9.

A total of 72 player slots will be available in the auction of SA20 2026. The 72 slots available mean 63% of the 108 places across the six franchises are available. But, the squad composition will remain the same with a maximum of seven overseas players, and a minimum of 11 local players.

There has also been a change in the salary cap. In the last three editions, INR 39.1 million (US$2.2 million) salary cap was there, but this time around it will be INR 41 million (US$2.31 million). Also, franchises will be allowed to sign one wildcard player whose fee is not included in the salary cap.

With the salary cap being increased to INR 41 million (US$2.31 million), SA20 becomes the league with the second-highest salary cap in the world, after the Indian Premier League (IPL). Notably, teams in the South Africa’s franchise T20 league are owned by the owners of the IPL team.

Franchies will be allowed to use Right to Match (RTM) cards in the SA20 2026 auction

During the auction of the SA20 2026, franchises will be allowed to use Right to Match (RTM) cards. With this, the teams will be allowed to match the winning bid for a player who represented them in season 3. The number of RTMs for each team will depend on the number of South African players each team will retain.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has also cancelled the rookie draft. Hence the teams now will have to sign a minimum of two under-23 players.

The SA20 will start a month earlier this time around. The 2026 edition of the league will begin from 26th December and will conclude on 26th January. The tournament is played in the January to mid-February window but with South Africa not playing any tests this year, the tournament will be played earlier this year. However, from 2027, the SA20 will go back to its original window.

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Ankitjit Singh

Ankitjit Singh is a dedicated sports journalist whose childhood dream was to play cricket—now, he serves the game through his work. With over three years of experience in reporting, writing, and editing, he brings deep insight to his coverage. A journalism graduate from Delhi University, Ankitjit’s passion for cricket took root during his college days and continues to drive his career.