A truly SA auction in the SA20
The SA20 S2 auction is done and dusted. The auction lasted for just over two and a half hours, making it the shortest auction conducted (by time) by a T20 franchise league. Only 21 players were picked by the franchises in the auction, with the highest-paid players being two uncapped South African players, Dayyan Galiem and Matthew Boast, whom Joburg Super Kings and Pretoria Capitals bought for a sum of 1.6 Million Rand each.
Why was it a truly South African auction?
Firstly, we had a new auctioneer, Ariella Kuper (known as Africa’s leading female auctioneer), who replaced Richard Madley for the SA20 S2 Auction.
Also, all the franchises preferred local coaches to be present at the auction table. The data-driven Pretoria Capitals went even further by bringing their talent scout, Werner Erasmus, to the auction table to provide insights on the locals, especially the Rookie pick.
All three hosts who were part of the broadcaster were South Africans, which provided a connection for the South African cricket viewer to ask prominent questions about SA20 to Steven Cook (Head of Cricket Operations- SA20) and Mahela Jayawardene (Global Head of Performance at MI), which provides the finer details for an average viewer about what does the league aim to provide for all the stakeholders.
Wild-Card Picks
All six franchises have announced their Wild-Card picks for the SA20 Season 2.
The Wild Card pick refers to a player (local or international) brought into the team. The Wildcard player’s price is paid, outside the player budget available with the franchises during the auction.
The Wild Card picks included:
Craig Overton (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)
Phil Salt (Pretoria Capitals)
Imran Tahir (Joburg Super Kings)
Fabian Allen (Paarl Royals)
Nicholas Pooran (Durban’s Supergiants)
Jofra Archer (MI Cape Town)
The Wild Card pick is an underrated yet vital aspect of a T20 franchise league because it provides a flavor that makes the tournament exciting and intense, with the stars joining in.
Courtesy- Sportzpics/ZA
Auctioned Players
Joburg Super Kings bought the 39-year-old Derbyshire T20 legend Wayne Madsen for his base price (R 8,50,000), who has been one of the best T20 players in the T20 Blast. Also, Romario Shepherd, who was part of JSK last season, was re-bought by JSK at his base price of Rand 8,50,000. These players provide a cushion to the pre-drafted overseas picks, acting as backups for JSK.
Titans pace allrounder Dayyan Galiem, the final player for JSK, received a hefty pay cheque of 1.6 Million Rand courtesy of a bidding war between JSK and Pretoria Capitals.
Pretoria Capitals brought in some key local and international players to bolster their side even further, starting with Paul Stirling and Kyle Verreyne, buying them at their respective base prices. It ensured that they filled two key backup spots (backup opener and wicket-keeper) without losing much cash.
So, they went on further and bought the young U-19 pace all-rounder Matthew Boast for a record sum of 1.6 Million Rand and express pacer Daryn Dupavillon back in their squad for 6,00,000 Rand to provide cushion for Nortje.
Sunrisers Eastern Cape invested their auction purse on two youngsters, firstly on the young legspinner Caleb Seleka, who was part of the JSK side last season and Warriors pace allrounder Beyers Swanepoel for a joint sum of 7,75,000 Rand. Thus, they have brought on a backup spinner and a pace allrounder to ensure no injuries hamper their winning chances.
Paarl Royals brought in two young international T20 players, in Hampshire left-arm seamer John Turner and Ireland’s new T20 globetrotting keeper-batter Lorcan Tucker, for a joint sum of 6,00,000 Rand. It ensures that a good backup option is available with them to replace Obed McCoy and Jos Buttler, respectively, in dire circumstances.
Durban’s Supergiants had their only purchase in the Dolphins middle-order batter, Jason Smith, who was added for squad depth, considering the lack of domestic batters last season.
MI Cape Town invested in 3 high-potential players who provide unique skills to the table which include Birmingham Phoenix keeper-batter Chris Benjamin, pace bowler Nealan van Heerden and left-arm chinaman spinner Thomas Kaber. It ensures squad depth is enough to prevent the injury crisis seen last season.
Rookie Picks
SA20 brought in a new squad rule, stating that there would be a Rookie draft at the end of the Auction where teams pick one Rookie player each.
This move is not dissimilar from Sundar Raman’s U-19 Player Draft in the earlier years of the IPL, where each franchise received a chance to draft a U-19 player.
The rookie players include:
Sunrisers Eastern Cape- Andile Simelane
(Lower-order batting allrounder)
Pretoria Capitals- Steve Stolk
(Top-order batter provides quick starts)
Joburg Super Kings- Ronan Hermann
(Top-order keeper-bat)
Paarl Royals- Lhuan-dre Pretorius
(Top-order keeper-batter)
Durban’s Supergiants- Bryce Parsons
(Left-hand opener with part-time left-arm spin)MI Cape Town- Connor Esterhuizen
(Top-order wicket-keeper batter with ILT20 experience)
Though the SA20 S2 auction was small, it provided buzz for the fans, especially those keen to know the players picked by their favourite team.
For the teams, despite having picked fewer players than last season, it was a stepping stone for them to develop the future stars from South Africa by scouting the unearthed gems and developing academies to prepare for cricketing talents to come and flourish in front of a packed crowd.
So, be ready to witness action-packed T20 cricket on South Africa’s best of the grounds, where the 6 franchises with the world’s best players fight it out for the coveted SA20 Trophy.
Cheers! Hope you liked the article.