The SA20 Season 5 Player Auction delivered plenty of excitement in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The four remaining franchises completed their squads with a mix of experienced international stars and promising young players.
Former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis was one of the biggest names at the auction. Joburg Super Kings signed him for $162,286 USD after a bidding battle with MI Cape Town. The 42-year-old will return to the Wanderers for another SA20 season.
Jason Rowles becomes the biggest buy
Joburg Super Kings also secured West Indies great Kieron Pollard for $90,162 USD. The veteran all-rounder will add experience and power to the team.
MI Cape Town made two major moves. They signed Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder for $156,274 USD and West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer for $90,162 USD.
The biggest surprise of the auction was 18-year-old Jason Rowles. The Under-23 prospect attracted strong interest from MI Cape Town and Joburg Super Kings. JSK eventually won the battle for $174,248 USD, making Rowles the most expensive player bought at the auction.
Rowles is a St David’s Marist Inanda matriculant and a Rain Schools SA20 graduate. His signing highlighted the growing focus on young South African talent.
“This year’s auction showed exactly what SA20 has become,” SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said. “It’s become a home where world-class players like Faf du Plessis, Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult sit alongside South Africa’s brightest young talent. Jason Rowles was the highlight of the day for me. Seeing an 18-year-old spark the biggest bidding battle of the day tells you how much the franchises believe in the next generation. It was only last year that he was participating in the Final of the rain Schools SA20 and today he will get to be a part of a squad consisting of some of the world’s best T20 stars. That’s the pathway we set out to build, and it’s hugely encouraging to see it working.”
Pretoria Capitals also added Rassie van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma. Sunrisers Eastern Cape completed their squad with Nandre Burger and Craig Overton.
SA20 Season 5 begins on January 17, 2027, with Sunrisers Eastern Cape hosting Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park.
