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Everything you need to know about the Season 5 Player Auction

6 Oct 20264 mins

"Going once, going twice, sold!"

It is a sound Betway SA20 fans know well, and one they will hear again at the Season 5 Player Auction live on SuperSport on Wednesday, 7 October at 17h00 (SAST).

A global cricket audience will tune in to watch four franchises spend a maximum of R35.025m on 19 available slots to complete their squads. Durban's Super Giants and Paarl Royals have already finished their business after the salary cap was increased to R42m for Season 5.

VIEW: Squads as they stand

Outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, fans can also tune into the action on JioStar in India (20h30 IST), Sky Sports in the UK (16h00 BST), Apex in Pakistan (19h30 PKT), Fox Sports in Australia (23h00 AEDT) and Willow by CricBuzz in North America (11h00 ET).

The Auction will also be streamed on the SA20 YouTube Channel with rolling updates and information on all official social media channels.

South African presenter and experienced auctioneer Dan Nicholl will hold the gavel for the first time, and lead proceedings. Former Proteas Chris Morris and Neil Mckenzie will also be on hand to give their expert analysis as the action unfolds.

Five years of the Betway SA20 Auction have been eventful. To date, the total available spend on players across the 5 seasons sits at a staggering R1.17 billion. From the League’s first record-breaking signing all the way back in 2022, to thrilling bidding wars and life-changing opportunities, every Auction has made an impact.

“I was very young, I was 20-something,” Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s captain, Tristan Stubbs said looking back. “I remember watching the Auction with my digs mates. We were jumping up and down. We couldn’t believe what just happened. No one really expected it. I didn’t expect it. It was quite overwhelming.”

Tristan Stubbs has gone from the League's record auction signing to captaining Sunrisers Eastern Cape to their third title

Dewald Brevis eclipsed Stubbs' record-breaking price when he was bought by the Pretoria Capitals for the eye-catching amount of R16.5m at the Season 4 auction.

In typical Brevis fashion, he used it as motivation to drive the Capitals to the final last season.

“Obviously, there are people that refer to the price tag, but for me I just remain Dewald and keep playing the game,” said Brevis.

"I know why I play cricket, and I’m grateful for how the auction went, getting to represent my home team in Pretoria. We had an amazing time, and I really enjoyed it."

Capitals’ captain, Keshav Maharaj, says the fear of the unknown is what makes the Auction all the more exciting.

“Going into the Auction, it’s a fear of the unknown. Once again, regardless of who you are, I think there’s always an element of where, price, if I’m going to get picked first of all,” Maharaj said.

“But throughout my career, I’ve always wanted an opportunity to play outside of Durban. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to experience that and experience a different culture towards cricket, which I would say was pretty phenomenal and second to nothing.”

For Matthew Breetzke, the Auction was a contrasting experience. Durban’s Super Giants picked up the precocious talent for his base price of R175 000 at the maiden Auction.

Three seasons later, Breetzke was a more mature cricketer, who understood his game much better, and could head home to Sunrisers Eastern Cape in Season 4 for R6.1m.

“I think the opportunity that the Durban Super Giants gave me was something that catapulted my career,” Breetzke said.

“With the Season 4 Auction, I was actually coming off a flight from I don’t know where and landed before I put my phone on and got all the messages that I was going back home.

“It was an incredibly special feeling for not only myself, but my family. The price tag was lovely, but just to be home and knowing I was going to be with the likes of Stubbo, (Marco) Jansen, and all these guys that I've played with in the past was really special.”

New Joburg Super Kings coach Albie Morkel has the biggest purse, R20.6m. MI Cape Town, under Robin Peterson, have R9.35m. Adrian Birrel’s three-time champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape have R3.6m, and last season's runners-up Pretoria Capitals with assistant coach Shaun Pollock at the table have R1.475m.

Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town must each sign one Under-23 player from the 48 on the final shortlist. The Super Kings also still have a Wildcard slot available.