SA20 Season 5 auction registration opens on August 24

The window for cricketers to enter the SA20 Season 5 Auction pool opened on Monday, August 24, at 1:30 PM IST. Interested players have until Monday, September 14, 2026 at 8:30 PM IST to submit their names, a period of three weeks. The auction itself will take place on October 7.

Registration is available through the official league website at www.sa20.co.za. Beyond the auction itself, players who sign up will also be eligible to serve as replacement players during SA20 Season 5 should any franchise require cover mid-tournament.

Across the six franchises, 19 slots remain unfilled heading into the auction. Two teams have already wrapped up their squads: Durban's Super Giants and Paarl Royals have both completed their 19-player rosters and will not be active bidders on October 7. The remaining four franchises are still in the market.

Which four teams are still building their squads?

Joburg Super Kings carry the largest remaining salary cap of the four active franchises, with USD 1.29 million still available. They have six spots to fill, one of which is reserved for an Under-23 player. MI Cape Town are in a similar position, also requiring six players including one Under-23 slot, though their remaining budget stands at USD 580,000.

Pretoria Capitals are looking to add five players and have USD 91,500 left to spend. Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the defending champions, need just two more players to complete their roster and have USD 223,000 remaining in their salary cap.

Among the notable names already retained or pre-signed across the six franchises are Mitchell Marsh, Joe Root, Sam Curran, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, Phil Salt, Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, Lungi Ngidi and David Miller. Specific franchise-by-franchise breakdowns of retained players were not supplied and have not been assigned to individual teams.

When does SA20 Season 5 start and where is the final?

SA20 Season 5 is scheduled to get under way on Sunday, January 17, 2027 at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth. The opening fixture will pit defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape against Pretoria Capitals, giving the tournament an immediate edge from the first ball.

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The season will conclude with the final on Sunday, February 21, 2027 at Newlands in Cape Town. With registration closing on September 14, 2026 and the auction following on October 7, franchises have a clear and structured timeline to finalise their squads well ahead of the January start.