All six SA20 franchises announced their retained and pre-signed players on Wednesday, August 5, with Mitchell Marsh, Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt
among the headline international arrivals for Season 5. The tournament opens on January 17 at St George's Park and concludes with the Final at Newlands on February 21.
Marsh, who holds 88 T20I caps and captains Australia in the format, is set to make his SA20 debut with triple champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape. Root returns to Paarl Royals for a second spell, while Curran joins Durban's Super Giants and Salt links up again with Pretoria Capitals. The remaining squad slots will be filled at the Player Auction on October 7, which has 19 available spots across all six franchises.
Which franchises have completed their squads ahead of the auction?
Durban's Super Giants and Paarl Royals are the only two franchises to have filled all 19 spots in their rosters before the October 7 auction. Every franchise has used up its allocation of overseas pre-signed slots, though Joburg Super Kings retain the option of a Wildcard signing.
At the auction, Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town each need to add six players, including one Under-23 player apiece. Pretoria Capitals require five more players, while Sunrisers Eastern Cape have two spots remaining.
"The franchises head into the Auction with the majority of their squads already locked in, which speaks volumes about the stability and consistency we have built. This sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5," said SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith.
Who are the key players at each franchise for Season 5?
At Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Marsh will bat alongside Season 5 Player of the Season Quinton de Kock and Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. Pretoria Capitals welcome back Salt, who has climbed to No 4 in the ICC T20I batting rankings, along with Australian debutant Matthew Short, Sherfane Rutherford, Dewald Brevis and Proteas T20I Player of the Year Lungi Ngidi.
Durban's Super Giants pair Curran with Proteas captain Aiden Markram, former England captain Jos Buttler, West Indies spinner Sunil Narine and the explosive Heinrich Klaasen. Paarl Royals see Root return alongside 2025 Bowler of the Season Ottneil Baartman, David Miller, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.
Root was instrumental in guiding the teenage Pretorius through his professional debut in Season 3. MI Cape Town have pre-signed England all-rounder Will Jacks, who joins Kagiso Rabada, SA20's record run-scorer Ryan Rickelton and Nicholas Pooran. Joburg Super Kings add West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder and Akeal Hosein, with James Vince, Donovan Ferreira and Season 4 breakout star Dian Forrester also confirmed.
SA20 season 5 retained & pre-signed players:
Durban's Super Giants:
Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Ethan Bosch, Jos Buttler, Gerald Coetzee, Devon Conway, Sam Curran, Tony de Zorzi, Daryn Dupavillon, Simon Harmer, Evan Jones, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Kwena Maphaka, Aiden Markram, Sunil Narine, Andile Simelane, Kyle Simmonds, Kane Williamson
Joburg Super Kings:
Jarren Bacher, Matthew de Villiers, Leus du Plooy, Donovan Ferreira, Dian Forrester, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Duan Jansen, Rilee Rossouw, Janco Smit, Prenelan Subrayen, James Vince
MI Cape Town:
Corbin Bosch, Reeza Hendricks, Will Jacks, Thomas Kaber, Rashid Khan (Captain), George Linde, Tristan Luus, Dane Piedt, Nicholas Pooran, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tiaan van Vuuren
Paarl Royals:
Ottneil Baartman, JJ Basson, Bjorn Fortuin, Rubin Hermann, Dan Lawrence, Keagan Lion-Cachet, David Miller, Nqobani Mokoena, Gudakesh Motie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Delano Potgieter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sikandar Raza, Thomas Rew, Joe Root, Asa Tribe, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kyle Verreynne, Hardus Viljoen
Pretoria Capitals:
Dewald Brevis, Connor Esterhuizen, Wihan Lubbe, Keshav Maharaj, Bayanda Majola, Lungi Ngidi, Bryce Parsons, Gideon Peters, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Phil Salt, Matthew Short, Lizaad Williams, Codi Yusuf
Sunrisers Eastern Cape:
Matthew Breetzke, James Coles, Quinton de Kock, Lewis Gregory, Jordan Hermann, Rishad Hossain, Marco Jansen, CJ King, JP King, Patrick Kruger, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Milne, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell van Buuren
