The inaugural players' auction of Cricket South Africa's upcoming new T20 franchise league – SA20 – was successfully held in Cape Town on Monday, 19 September.
The SA20 league is slated to be held in January-February 2023, but no official confirmation regarding the dates has been announced so far. The league comprises six teams owned by the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises.
The six teams – MI Cape Town (Reliance), Pretoria Capitals (JSW), Paarl Royals (Royals Sports Group), Durban Super Giants (RPG-Sanjiv Goenka), Johannesburg Super Kings (India Cements), and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Sunrisers Hyderabad owner Kaviya Maran) – took part in the auction.
Each team had to pick players and form a team under the designated total salary cap of R 34 million (USD 1.9 million approx, INR 15 crore).
That said, let's look at the five most expensive buys of the SA T20 league auction.
*1 South African Rand = 4.50 INR
1. Tristan Stubbs - R 9.2 Million (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
It was no surprise that Tristan Stubbs emerged as the costliest pick in the auction given his meteoric rise in T20 cricket of late.
The 22-year-old impressed one and all with his power-hitting skills in the 2021-2022 CSA T20 challenge, accumulating 293 runs from seven innings at a strike rate of 183.12.
However, the world took notice of his batting abilities when he clubbed 72 off just 28 balls, coming in at No. 6 in his third T20I outing for South Africa during a 235-run chase against England back in July.
So far, the right-handed batter has featured six times in the shortest format for the Proteas and has quickly made a case for himself in their playing XI with an impressive strike rate of 216.36.
Stubbs has also played for Manchester Originals in The Hundred T20 league conducted by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Apart from his batting skills, the youngster stood out in the UK with his part-time off-spin.
Earlier, Stubbs was bought by IPL franchise Mumbai Indians as a replacement for injured English bowler Tymall Mills in IPL 2022, when he was still an uncapped player.
2. Rilee Rossouw - R 6.9 Million (Pretoria Capitals)
Rilee Rossouw played for South Africa between 2014 and 2016. However, the 32-year-old signed a Kolpak deal with Hampshire in England in January 2017 that made him ineligible to represent his own country in the international circuit.
Brexit, however, changed the scenario for Rossouw and many others bound by the Kolpak deal as it was canceled by the England and Wales Cricket Board with immediate effect from 1 January 2021.
Since then, the veteran cricketer has enjoyed a new lease of life and has returned to the international arena, offering cricket fans a fair glimpse of his potential.
The left-handed batter, who has plied his trade with various T20 franchises worldwide recently, impressed with an unbeaten 96 in South Africa's second T20I against England in July.
Rossouw has played 18 times for the Proteas national team and has 458 runs to his name at a strike rate of 145.85.
He was also part of IPL side Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2014 edition. However, his opportunities were limited in a squad filled with star names.
3. Marco Jansen - R 6.1 Million (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
South African pacer Marco Jansen is no stranger to Indian fans who have seen him in action in the IPL. The lanky 22-year-old made his debut in the cash-rich T20 league after Mumbai Indians bought him in the 2021 Auctions for a base price of INR 20 lakh.
The left-arm seamer featured just twice for the Mumbai outfit but turned heads with Sunrisers Hyderabad the next season, picking up nine wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 8.39.
To date, he has played only a single T20I for the Proteas, but his stacks have been rising ever since he excelled with his bowling displays in the recently concluded Test series against England.
4. Wayne Parnell - R 5.6 Million (Pretoria Capitals)
After a hiatus of almost five years, Wayne Parnell made a comeback to the South African T20 side in June against India. Since his return, Parnell has stood out and most recently bagged a fifer in his last T20 outing for the national side against Ireland last month.
With a bagful of experience under his cap, the left-handed seamer is not new to T20 franchise cricket, having played for various sides, including Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the IPL.
The 33-year-old was also part of the Proteas squad and captained them in the 2006 under-19 World Cup, wherein he finished as the highest wicket-taker with 18 to his name.
5. Donavon Ferreira - R 5.5 Million (Johannesburg Super Kings)
Uncapped Proteas batter Donavon Ferreira also caused quite a stir in the auction as he was sold to Super Kings for a sum of Rand 5.5 million (USD 310,000 approx.) after being listed for a base price of Rand 175,000 (USD 10,000 approx.)
Despite his low base price, Ferreira's value quickly rose as three teams – Super Kings, Royals, and Capitals fought tooth and nail for the services of the youngster.
The homegrown talent has not yet made his Proteas debut but is highly rated in the domestic circuit due to the varied skillset he brings to the table.
Apart from his batting abilities, Ferreira dons the role of a wicketkeeper and is also known for his fantastic fielding skills. He has played 19 T20s so far and has a superb strike rate of 148.26.
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