SA20 season 4 player auction wrapped up with record-breaking signings, as Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram emerged as the most expensive picks in the tournament’s history.
The Pretoria Capitals, guided by their new head coach Sourav Ganguly, outbid the Joburg Super Kings in a fierce battle to secure Brevis for a staggering R16.5 million (approx. Rs 8.3 crore) — the highest price ever paid for a player in an SA20 auction.
Pretoria Capitals head coach Sourav Ganguly shared his reactions on signing Brevis, “I hope he does well. I think he is a tremendous talent. His game has really progressed over the last one and a half year, as we saw against Australia. 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 R16.5m, 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.”
Brevis’ record deal came just 12 minutes after Markram was snapped up for R14m (approx. Rs 7 crore) during Richard Madley’s thrilling opening marquee set.
The previous record — R9.2m (approx. Rs 4.6 crore) — was set by Tristan Stubbs at the inaugural 2022 auction in Cape Town.
The Joburg Super Kings weren’t far behind, signing all-rounder Wiaan Mulder for R9m (approx. Rs 4.5 crore) and left-arm seamer Nandre Burger for R6.3m (approx. Rs 3.1 crore).
Across the auction, the six franchises spent a collective R129.3m (approx. Rs 65 crore) on 84 players, with R116.9m (approx. Rs 59 crore) directed towards South African talent. Of this, R22.8m (approx. Rs 11.4 crore) was invested in 12 promising Under-23 players.
SA20 League commissioner Graeme Smith said, “I’m always reluctant to talk about the numbers, but it is exciting to see the investment back into South African cricket. This is an investment that was never there. The franchises have come and they’ve invested properly. You see they’re getting behind the South African players. I think it’s also credit to how the players have progressed over the last three or four years. 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. I think credit to their performances. They’ve fetched the prices because they’ve performed well, and they’ve stood out.”
