Shamar Joseph, Josh Little, Naseem Shah among overseas players selected for SA20 auction

Shamar Joseph, Josh Little, Naseem Shah. (Source – Getty Images)

Pacers Shamar Joseph, Naseem Shah, Josh Little, and Josh Hull are among the batch of overseas players who have been selected for the SA20 auction. Approximately 200 players have been shortlisted for the auction, 115 of whom are South Africans.

Ahead of the auction, it is worth noting that Paarl Royals have the biggest purse out of all the franchises, with R11.95m to spend at the auction. MI Cape Town are following them closely with R8.275m, followed by Pretoria Capitals’ with a purse of R4.575m.

Apart from the overseas pacers, the likes of Martin Guptill, Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batter Kusal Mendis, and Qais Ahmad are also among the overseas options who will be present in the auction.

The current SA20 commissioner and former South Africa cricketer, Graeme Smith, came forward and talked about the quality of the players who could feature in the tournament.

“Some of the biggest names on the international T20 circuit have already signed up for season 3 and I am looking forward to see how the teams finalise their squads from this competitive auction list of players,” Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. 

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It is worth noting that before the start of the tournament, every franchise is required to have 19 players. A minimum of 10 South African players are required in every team as well. 

The auction for the competition is set to begin on October 1, and the tournament will kick off on January 9. It is also worth noting that apart from Super Kings, every franchise has announced their wildcard picks. Furthermore, Super Kings have until December 30 to lock in their wildcard player.

Paarl Royals went with Dinesh Karthik as their wildcard pick as the former India cricketer will become the first Indian to feature in the SA20. Ahead of the auction, the franchises will hope to get the best players on their side and put in good performances throughout the tournament in a bid to get their hands on the title.