SA20 auction: 18-year-old Jason Rowles is the costliest pick as Faf du Plessis and Kieron Pollard join Joburg Super Kings

An 18-year-old schoolboy cricketer was the most expensive buy at the SA20 Season 5 player auction in Johannesburg on Wednesday evening, 7 October. Two famous veterans, Faf du Plessis and Kieron Pollard, will play for Joburg Super Kings (JSK). “SA20 auction” trended in India, where the auction was shown on JioStar.

Rowles tops the auction

Jason Rowles, a graduate of the league’s Schools SA20 competition, went to JSK for US$174,248 after a bidding battle with MI Cape Town. JSK needed to sign an Under-23 player. SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith called Rowles “the highlight of the day”.

Biggest buys

• Jason Rowles (JSK): $174,248
• Faf du Plessis (JSK): $162,286. The 42-year-old returns to the Wanderers, his home ground for the first four seasons, after a bidding war with MI Cape Town.
• Wiaan Mulder (MI Cape Town): $156,274
• Kieron Pollard (JSK): $90,162
• Shimron Hetmyer (MI Cape Town): $90,162
• Rassie van der Dussen (Pretoria Capitals): $30,053

Other signings included Temba Bavuma for Pretoria Capitals, Trent Boult and Oliver Whitehead for MI Cape Town, Nandre Burger and Craig Overton for Sunrisers Eastern Cape, and Andries Gous and Blessing Muzarabani for JSK.

How the auction worked

Four teams had 19 places to fill from a shortlist of 156 players. JSK had the biggest purse at $1.245 million for six places. Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals had already filled their squads. There is an Indian link: former India captain Sourav Ganguly is head coach of Pretoria Capitals.

When Season 5 starts

SA20 Season 5 starts on Sunday, 17 January 2027, when Sunrisers Eastern Cape host Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, a repeat of last season’s final.

Sources: Zee News, Free Press Journal, Outlook India, India TV.