The SA20 2025-26 auction reshaped every franchise, with record-breaking buys, surprise bargains, and some notable unsold names. Here’s a full breakdown of how the six squads now look after the dust settled.
Mumbai Indians Cape Town Rebuild Around Core Stars
Mumbai Indians Cape Town (MICT) kept faith in their star power, retaining Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, and Ryan Rickleton, while adding Kagiso Rabada as their wild card and Nicholas Pooran as a marquee pre-signing.
At the auction, they spent big on Rassie van der Dussen (R5.2m) while securing value buys like Reeza Hendricks, Dwaine Pretorius, and Tabraiz Shamsi. The squad now blends international pedigree with domestic depth.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑴𝑰𝑪𝑻 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒉 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆.”
Sunrisers Eastern Cape Add Power with Nortje & de Kock
Champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) made headlines by retaining Tristan Stubbs and pulling in Marco Jansen (wild card) plus Jonny Bairstow as a pre-signing. Their auction haul included Quinton de Kock (R2.4m), Matthew Breetzke (R6.1m), and Anrich Nortje (R5m).
They added balance with Senuran Muthusamy, Lutho Sipamla, and allrounders like Lewis Gregory. Nortje’s signing, in particular, gives them a lethal edge alongside Jansen.
Johannesburg Super Kings Back Mulder with Big Money
Johannesburg Super Kings (JSK) retained Faf du Plessis as leader but surprised many by splashing R9m on Wiaan Mulder. They also picked up Nandre Burger (R6.3m) and brought back Imran Tahir late in the auction.
Brandon King and Rilee Rossouw were smart additions, while Reece Topley strengthens their pace unit.
Pretoria Capitals Win Brevis Battle
The Pretoria Capitals (PC) stunned the room by spending R16.5m on Dewald Brevis, breaking the SA20 pay record. They also invested in Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Craig Overton, Saqib Mahmood, and young domestic talents.
“𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑷𝑪’𝒔 𝒂𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓.”
With Andre Russell already secured as a wild card, PC’s squad looks stacked for season 4.
Paarl Royals Go All-In on Allrounders
Paarl Royals (PR) retained David Miller and Bjorn Fortuin, while signing Sikandar Raza and Mujeeb Ur Rahman pre-auction. Their biggest purchase was Ottneil Baartman (R5.1m), alongside Kyle Verreynne (R2.3m) and Delano Potgieter (R2.6m).
Despite Sangakkara’s visible frustrations during bidding, they patched the squad with smart buys like Gudakesh Motie and English batter Dan Lawrence.
Durban’s Super Giants Land Markram & Coetzee
Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) arguably had one of the best auctions, securing Aiden Markram (R14m) and Gerald Coetzee (R7.4m). They also picked up Kwena Maphaka, David Bedingham, Devon Conway, Tony de Zorzi, and David Wiese.
With Sunil Narine and Jos Buttler already signed, their lineup looks both balanced and explosive.
Notable Unsold Names
Despite the frenzy, several big players went unsold, including Mustafizur Rahman, Kusal Perera, Moeen Ali, Jason Roy, Temba Bavuma, and James Anderson. Their absence underlined how competitive and unpredictable this year’s auction was.
Also Read: Brevis and Markram Smash Records at SA20 2025-26 Auction