Johannesburg, July 23 (IANS) Six franchises of the SA20 have announced the pre-signed and retained players for Season 4 ahead of the auctions, scheduled for September 9.

Each of the teams were permitted a maximum of six retained or pre-signed players, comprising a maximum of three South African and as many as overseas players during the player retention window, which closed on July 18.

The teams also strategically completed their six Wildcard signings, with all the focus now on the remaining slots and the collective maximum purse of USD 7.4 million, to be spent on the 84 available slots at the auction.

For Season 4, a Wildcard player could be any overseas player or a South African player who was part of the team’s squad in Season 3.

Durban’s Super Giants have focused their energies on securing a high-quality overseas trio in West Indies T20I legend Sunil Narine, along with England’s Jos Buttler and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad, while holding on to megastar Heinrich Klaasen as a Wildcard. The KZN outfit will enter the auction with the second- highest available purse of USD 1.7 million to purchase the 15 remaining players.

Joburg Super Kings have retained the experience of captain Faf du Plessis and brought in English duo James Vince and Richard Gleeson and will have the joint third biggest purse of USD 1.2 million to spend at the auction.

Defending champions MI Cape Town have opted for the full six-player allowance and Wildcard in a bid to consolidate the core of their Season 3 championship-winning squad, whilst bolstering the squad with the addition of West Indies superstar Nicholas Pooran.

With five players and a Wildcard locked in, Paarl Royals have maintained their strategic youth investment policy with the retention of teenager and Season 3’s Batter of the Season, Lhuan-dre Pretorius. The Royals have also pre-signed Zimbabwe T20I captain Sikandar Raza – the first player from South Africa’s northern neighbours set to participate in SA20.

Pretoria Capitals have opted to do the majority of their business at the auction securing two players and a Wildcard in Windies T20 World Cup winner Andre Russell. The Capitals will head into the auction with the highest purse of USD 1.8 million available with a total of 16 players required to complete their squad.

Notable South African players available to be picked up at the auction include Proteas World Test Championship final heroes Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Wiaan Mulder and Keshav Maharaj, along with top young talent Dewald Brevis and Kwena Maphaka. T20 specialists Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi are also available.

“When the League first drafted its regulations in Season 1, we always saw this forthcoming season as an opportunity for a strategic reset — and this is exactly where we envisioned being. There’s now a strong balance between pre-signed and retained international and Proteas players, alongside a significant purse available for the auction,” SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith said.

“After three seasons, the franchises have developed a good understanding of the South Africa cricket ecosystem and adopted a distinct strategy which sets the stage for the most exciting auction yet,” he added.

–IANS

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