SA20 2025 Rookie Draft returns after Season 2 success

SA20. (Photo Source: Twitter/SA20)

Friday, 27 September 2024: Six young South African cricketers are in line for a career-changing opportunity at the SA20 Season 3 Rookie Draft set for October 1 in Cape Town.

After proving to be a successful addition in Season 2, the draft will once again form part of the premier auction.  

In a testimony to the depth of the South African talent, five of the six Rookies selected at the last auction, in addition to a further two replacement Rookies, have been incorporated in the list of retained players by their respective teams for Season 3.

SA20 Head of Cricket Operations, Stephen Cook, says the League remains committed to exposing South Africa’s young talent to a high-quality international standard competition where they can learn from some of the world’s leading T20 coaches, players, and optimal team environments.   

“The Rookie player was an overwhelming success story from Season 2, with many great stories coming from it,” he said. “Seeing young players getting opportunities to be exposed to some of the best players and coaches in the world is very encouraging and bodes well for the development of the South African player pipeline.”

Paarl Royals’ leg-spinner, Nqaba Peter, believes his Rookie experience during the SA20 last season accelerated his development that saw him capped by the Proteas Men’s team in both T20I and ODI formats. 

“In the change-room, there’s Lungi (Ngidi), Andile (Phehlukwayo), (Tabraiz) Shamsi … guys I watched on TV. I don’t know if there’s a word to describe how it really feels to be around them. I had some mentorship from these guys.  It’s definitely an experience every cricketer should be able to experience,” Peter said.

Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s all-rounder, Andile Simelane, was thankful he was able to train under the tutelage of Proteas bowling legend, Dale Steyn, at St George’s Park. 

Also read: SA20 announce development league to nurture cricket talents

 “It was something special for me to get a chance, an opportunity to work with the best coaches and overseas players. I was very excited to be part of the defending champions’ squad,” Simelane said.

“I worked with Dale; he’s added a few things to my bowling. I think those things have helped me a lot. Growing up I wanted to be part of the best teams in the world. It’s something I will never forget.”

Being part of MI Cape Town’s squad was the fulfilment of a boyhood fantasy for Connor Esterhuizen. 

“It was a childhood dream,” he enthused. “I told Rassie (van der Dussen) how early on in his career, he threw a pair of pants down at the Wanderers, and I still have those pants.

“And then the international stars were so special. It was awesome to see how they go about their business.

“I loved being able to connect with the staff and the team. It was a very nurturing family environment. You can never ask enough questions and learn as much as possible. My teammates have been unbelievable, there was a great bond.”

A total of 89 young players have entered the draft, which includes the likes of South Africa U19 fast bowler, Tristan Luus, Western Province all-rounder Abdallah Bayoumy, North West wicket-keeper batter Meeka-eel Prince, South Africa U19 captain Juan James and SA Emerging XI batter Dewan Marais. 

SA20 Rookie Draft Explained

A Rookie is a South African player aged 22 or under on the day of the auction that has not been contracted to SA20 before. All six teams are mandated to select a player from the Rookie draft.  

A player meeting the definition of a Rookie can be bought in the regular auction stage, but if not chosen in the regular auction, will then be eligible for the Rookie draft which will take place at the end of the regular auction.  

Each team will have two minutes to make their choice and will be ‘on the clock’ to stick within the parameters.    

Each Rookie player has a set value of R75 000, which will be deducted from the team’s available salary cap prior to the auction to make sure there is absolute clarity at all stages of the Player Auction as to how much purse is remaining and ensure that the Rookie Fee is sufficiently catered for by each Franchise.  

The standard regulations pertaining to squad composition, salary cap and base prices will apply.  

Should a Franchise already have a player in the squad that meets the definition of a Rookie player, this player will not count as the Rookie player as far as this provision is concerned. Each Franchise must take a Rookie player in the draft portion of proceedings.  

The order of selection will be as follows (reverse order of final positions from Season 2): 

1. MI Cape Town (log position 6)  

2. Pretoria Capitals (log position 5)  

3. Paarl Royals (Loser of Eliminator match) 

4. Joburg Super Kings (loser of Qualifier 2 match)

5. Durban’s Super Giants (Runners up)  

6. Sunrisers Eastern Cape (Champions)  

Where to watch SA20 2025 Rookie Auction?

The SA20 auction and Rookie draft will take place in Cape Town on Tuesday, October 1. The auction will be broadcast live on SuperSport (Sub-Saharan Africa), Viacom (India) and Sky Sports (UK) from 16h15 SAST. Follow the rolling coverage across all SA20 social media platforms. Proceedings will also be live streamed on the SA20 YouTube channel.