Wed Oct 02 14:37:29 UTC 2024: ## SA20 Player Auction Heats Up: 13 Picks to Shape Season 3
**Cape Town, South Africa** – The third SA20 player auction is set to take place on Tuesday, October 1st, as the six franchises vie for the remaining spots on their squads ahead of Season 3, which begins on January 9th, 2025. With only 13 picks available, along with six rookie draft selections, competition promises to be fierce.
A plethora of international stars will be available, including West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph and England’s fast bowling quartet of Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson, and Josh Hull. New Zealand veteran Martin Guptill is also expected to attract significant interest. Emerging South African talent will also be on display, with a number of rookies looking to break into professional cricket.
“The auction is always an exciting time of year,” said League Commissioner Graeme Smith. “We are really proud of the list of players that have come in this year. It’s important that we create a platform where teams are balanced, and each game has context.”
The auction will be held in five phases, with 40 players presented in the first round, categorized by specialist skills. Following this initial phase, a “eXXpress” round will allow franchises to secure any remaining spots with players from the unsold list.
The auction concludes with the Rookie Draft, where each team must select a South African player aged 22 or younger who has not previously played in the SA20.
The salary cap for Season 3 remains at R39.1 million, and teams will be aiming to fill their squads with a maximum of 7 overseas players and 17 players in total.
The auction will be broadcast live on SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), Viacom (India) and Sky Sports (UK) from 16h15 SAST (7:45 PM IST) on October 1st. It will also be live-streamed on the Betway SA20 Youtube Channel.
First Piper 