South African batters Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram fetched record sums at the SA20 Season 4 player auction in Johannesburg on September 9, becoming the most expensive buys in the league's history. Brevis secured R16.5 million, becoming the league's highest-paid player, while Markram's R14 million bid also represented a substantial amount.
Sourav Ganguly-coached Pretoria Capitals acquired the 22-year-old Dewald Brevis for R16.5 million (approximately INR 8.3 crore), ahead of SA20 2026. The sum surpassed the 2022 record of R9.2 million (approximately Rs 4.6 crore) paid for Tristan Stubbs. The Centurion-based franchise secured Brevis after intense competition from Joburg Super Kings.
Sourav Ganguly, Capitals' new head coach, stated in a release after the auction on Tuesday that Brevis is a "tremendous talent". "His game has really progressed over the last one-and-a-half years, as we saw against Australia," Ganguly said. "On that tour, he showed he is a game-changer, and that's exactly what you need in T20 cricket. We have Russell, Rutherford, who can really step it up, and I hope Brevis does the same."
"I never associate performance with money. Leaving aside the R16.5 million, I believe he is a fantastic talent. He plays spin very well, which is extremely important, and taking everything into account, that’s why he went for that price," Ganguly added.
South Africa's T20I captain Aiden Markram joined Durban's Super Giants for R14 million, which is approximately INR 7 crore. This transfer happened after Sunrisers Eastern Cape tried to retain him with a Right to Match card at R12.4 million.
SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith commented after the auction, saying, "I'm always reluctant to talk about the numbers, but it is exciting to see the investment back into South African cricket." Smith observed that franchises "have come and they've invested properly", showing they are "getting behind the South African players".
"I think there's some proper talent. The platform that SA20 has provided has not only benefited them here (in South Africa), but benefited them in other leagues and internationally as well," he added.
The six franchises collectively spent R129.3 million, approximately INR 65 crore, on 84 players. Of this, R116.9 million (around INR 59 crore) was allocated to South African players. Twelve Under-23 players received a total investment of R22.8 million, approximately INR 11.4 crore.
Pretoria Capitals started the SA20 2026 auction with the largest purse of USD 1.86 million, while MI Cape Town had the smallest at USD 0.65 million.
Teenage pacer Kwena Maphaka joined Durban's Super Giants for R2.3 million. Young names like Janco Smit (Joburg Super Kings), Bayanda Majola (Pretoria Capitals), and JJ Bason (Paarl Royals) also secured contracts for their debut SA20 seasons. Joburg Super Kings signed all-rounder Wiaan Mulder for R9 million (around INR 4.5 crore) and left-arm seam bowler Nandre Burger for R6.3 million (around INR 3.1 crore).
SA20 2026 will run from December 26 to January 25, 2026.
(With PTI Inputs)