A total of 541 players were registered to go under the hammer.
Auctions are an interesting game. The amount that a player is sold for, can be taken as a direct correlation for their interest in the player. But things aren’t so straightforward every time. Multiple factors are involved in teams going after a particular player, which are often complex. The SA20 2026 auction for the fourth edition of the league is underway, and some of the bids have been over the roof.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape have won the title on the last two occasions, and will be aiming for a hat-trick tis time around. The first edition of the tournament was clinched by Mumbai Indians (MI) Cape Town. However, the Sunrisers have made the Final on all the three occasions.
With 541 players going under the hammer, the auction had everything to offer. From players going unsold, to Dewald Brevis taking the highest bid – here are the top five auction bids in the fourth edition of the SA20 auction.
The no-look master was on-demand in the SA20 auction. Referred to as Baby AB (after South African player AB de Villiers), Dewald Brevis went for a huge sum of R16.5 million in the auction, which was the most expensive in the history of the league. His exploits in the recently concluded T20I series against Australia added a lot of value to his stocks. He racked up a fifty and also a huge hundred in the three-match series.
To add to that, The Johannesburg Super Kings were excited to sign Brevis, but lost the bidding war to the Pretoria Capitals. Brevis, who was signed by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL this season showed glimpses of some fantastic performances. It is no wonder that the youngster is one for the future.
In six games for CSK in IPL 2025, he scored 225 runs at an average of 37.5, which included a couple of half-centuries. To add to that, Brevis has got a rich portfolio of franchise leagues, having played in almost every major league across the globe. In 32 matches for MI Cape Town in the SA20, Brevis has notched up 676 runs at a strike-rate of 145.37, with four fifties under his belt.
The South African skipper was yet another hot commodity in the auction. Teams were willing to go all in, as son as his name was taken by the auctioneer. Two teams who were fighting for acquiring the services of Markram were Pretoria Capitals and the Durban’s Super Giants.
The bidding war came to a halt when the price was at R14.6 million, and Markram with the Super Giants. However, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape were willing to buy him back via the Right to Match (RTM) option. But as per the rules, the Super Giants took the bid to R14 million, and the Orange Army backed out. As a result, Markram will play for the Super Giants in the fourth SA20 season.
Having played for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in IPL 2025, the Protea batter displayed sheer class at the top of the order. Additionally, he is a good candidate for the leadership role and will mostly be entrusted with the responsibility. The Super Giants will be extremely pleased to have his services for the season.
The all-rounder, who was selected by SRH for IPL 2025 as a replacement, was recently making headlines after his record-breaking knock of 367* against Zimbabwe. Mulder, who was the skipper for that tour, chose to declare the innings when he was batting on an unbeaten 367. This quickly became the talk of the town, and raised multiple questions over the matter.
However, his performances have spoken very highly of him in the recent past. Along with the bat, Mulder provides a few overs with the ball as well, making justice to the all-rounder tag. He has featured in three seasons in the SA20, all of them for the Durban’s Super Giants. However, for this season, he was acquired by the Johannesburg Super Kings for a sum of R9 million.
In 32 games in the league, he has scored a total of 603 runs, with three fifties under his belt. Mulder has batted in the top-order frequently in recent times, and will be the favourite to do the same in the upcoming season.
The speedster has ben one of the most hyped bowlers from South Africa. Gerald Coetzee played for the Johannesburg Super Kings in the previous two editions of the league. This year, he will be playing for the Durban’s Super Giants. He managed 17 wickets in the 2023/24 season, but could only feature in a solitary match in the 2024/25 season. Coetzee was ruled out of the previous season after an injury, after a left-hamstring strain in January 2025.
The 24-year-old has had his fair share of injuries. He had also suffered a right-groin muscle strain which caused him to miss the second Test against Sri Lanka in December 2024. To add to that, he was also ruled out of the subsequent tour to Pakistan. Lastly, a groin injury in July 2024 ruled him out of the Major League Cricket (MLC) season and the tour to the West Indies.
Having said that, the right-arm express pacer has the tendency to rattle the batter with his pace. He will be a force to reckon with for the Super Giants. On wickets in South Africa, he will be extremely effective due to the nature of the pitches. However, the Protea pace-ace will have to be wary of his economy in the shortest format, which is in excess of 10 at the highest level.
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6.30 million is a huge sum of money for a player who had no plans to become a cricketer. Nandre Burger, the South African speedster, had ambitions of playing on the ATP Tour. Furthermore, he wanted to become a psychologist. But as destiny would have it, the pacer will be playing in the fourth edition of the SA20 for the Johannesburg Super Kings, who retained him after featuring in the 2023/24 season.
A lower-back stress fracture ruled Burger out of the last season, due to which he could not take the field. In the 2023/24 season, Burger played 11 games and could manage as many wickets with an economy of 7.94. He registered best figures of 3/26 in the same season.
The Unique Selling Proposition (USP), which Burger brings to the table is his ability to swing the ball both ways with the same wrist position. This increases the difficulty for the batter to judge the trajectory of the delivery. As a result, one is forced to react to the ball after it is pitched and is eventually hurried, resulting in a wicket.
| Rank | Player | Team | Price (Rand) | Approx. INR (Crore) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dewald Brevis | Pretoria Capitals | R 16.5 million | ₹8.30 cr |
| 2 | Aiden Markram | Durban’s Super Giants | R 14 million | ₹7.04 cr |
| 3 | Wiaan Mulder | Joburg Super Kings | R 9 million | ₹4.53 cr |
| 4 | Gerald Coetzee | Durban’s Super Giants | R 7.40 million | ₹3.72 cr |
| 5 | Nandre Burger | Joburg Super Kings (RTM) | R 6.30 million | ₹3.17 cr |
| 6 | Matthew Breetzke | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R 6.10 million | ₹3.07 cr |
| 7 | Rassie van der Dussen | MI Cape Town | R 5.20 million | ₹2.62 cr |
| 8 | Ottneil Baartman | Paarl Royals | R 5.10 million | ₹2.57 cr |
| 9 | Anrich Nortje | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R 5 million | ₹2.52 cr |
| 10 | Connor Esterhuizen | Pretoria Capitals | R 3.20 million | ₹1.61 cr |
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