Retired India Stars Register For SA20 2025-26 Auction: Find Out Who

The SA20, a franchise cricket tournament organised by Cricket South Africa (CSA), has gained a lot of audience since its inception in 2023. Players from all over the world come down to participate in the tournament. Usually, the tournament is played in the month of January and February. However, this time, the SA20 2025-26 will start on December 26, which is also the Boxing Day.

SA20 is one of the best cricket leagues in the world. Interestingly, all six teams playing in the tournament are owned by the owners of the IPL franchise. While MI Cape Town won the previous season, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape have won the tournament twice. As a result, they are the most successful team in the SA20 history.

If we look at the players, there are many players who are quite experienced and have played for many T20 leagues that are happening around the world. The veteran players are also a part of the tournament. Usually, Indian players are not allowed to play in any franchise league unless they are retired. However, there have been a few Indian cricketers who have gone outside India to play the other franchise leagues post retirement.

Indian Players in SA20 Auction

The SA20 2025-26 auction is set to commence on September 9, three months before the tournament. This time, around 13 players from India have registered for the SA20 auction, which is huge. The list of Indian players in SA20 auction includes some of the biggest names and also some unknown names. Those players are:

1. Mahesh Ahir (Gujarat)
2. Sarul Kanwar (Punjab)
3. Anureet Singh Kathuria (Delhi)
4. Nikhil Jaga (Rajasthan)
5. Mohamed Faidh (state not mentioned)
6. KS Naveen (Tamil Nadu)
7. Ansari Marouf (state not mentioned)
8. Imran Khan (UPCA)
9. Venkatesh Galipelly (state not mentioned)
10. Atul Yadav (UPCA)
11. Piyush Chawla (UPCA, India)
12. Siddharth Kaul (Punjab)
13. Ankit Rajpoot (UP)

As per the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the richest cricket board in the world, the players are either retired or have given up the urge to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hence, they got permission to play in the SA20. Among these are the veteran players Piyush Chawla, Ankit Rajpoot, and Siddarth Kaul, who have played in the IPL for many years.

Moreover, Piyush Chawla and Siddarth Kaul have played for India as well in international cricket. Piyush Chawla is the most experienced Indian player among all of them. The base price for the Indian players is 200,000 Rand, except Piyush Chawla, whose reserve price is 1,000,000 Rand. Piyush Chawla SA20 selection will be a big moment for him if he gets picked.

No. of Players in SA20 2025-26 Auction

A total of 784 players have registered for the auction, out of which only 84 will get selected. The franchise owners will have a purse of USD 7.4 million to buy 19 players to fill their squads. To make the auction more interesting, the organizers had announced that teams would be allowed one Wildcard player, either an overseas or South African cricketer, whose salary would fall outside the salary cap.

While this might create some confusion during the auction, but it will be fun to watch for the fans. Interestingly, there are 40 Pakistani players who have registered for the tournament, including Azam Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abrar Ahmed, and Saim Ayub. But for the first time, the franchise owners will have Pakistani players in their squads.

Moreover, there are around 150 English players who have signed up for the auction. Some of those big names are Alex Hales and Jason Roy. There are many South African players who have registered for the tournament as well, including Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder, Keshav Maharaj, Dewald Brevis, Kwena Maphaka, Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, and Tabraiz Shamsi. Cricket South Africa has put in a lot of investments in the tournament, and the results it has yielded in these three years are terrific. The fans can expect another thrilling tournament in the upcoming months.