From schoolboy to biggest SA20 auction signing: How Jason Rowles became Joburg's big bet
toi
newspoint|10-10-2026
NEW DELHI: Jason Rowles entered the SA20 Auction , ahead of the fifth season of South Africa's premier T20 competition , at a base price of R200,000 (approx. Rs 11.62 lakh). As MI Cape Town (MICT) raised the paddle, the bidding began. Joburg Super Kings (JSK) joined the bidding battle almost immediately, upping the bid by R25,000 (approx. Rs 1.47 lakh). With Durban's Super Giants and Paarl Royals not involved in the auction, the remaining teams, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape, kept their paddles down. The bids, however, continued to rise.
MICT took it to R500,000 and then to R1 million. JSK stayed in it and took it to R1.5 million. MICT upped it to R2 million. JSK took it to R2.5 million and finally outbid their rivals at R2.9 million (Rs 1.69 crore). The 18-year-old from Johannesburg, still a matric pupil at St David’s Marist Inanda, was acquired at 14.5 times his base price.
"Robbie [Robin Peterson, the MICT] and his crew saw the same talent that we saw in Jason. He is a local boy from Joburg that we've tracked for a long time. We had a talent scout camp a year ago, which he attended. So he was someone on our radar," said Albie Morkel , head coach of JSK, in an interaction facilitated by the SA20 after the Season 5 Auction.
"Did I think he was going to go for that amount of money? No, definitely not. But he's someone that we really wanted. I think in that Rookie and now the U-23 spot, every franchise is looking for that guy who's going to be the next Lhuan-dre (Pretorius) or the next (Dewald) Brevis. Whether he will be that, time will tell. But he's a really talented guy."
Over a year ago, however, he was playing in the Schools SA20 Finals, a T20 competition created by the SA20 and Cricket South Africa (CSA) in 2024 to spot and encourage young talent. Representing St David's Marist, Rowles's team finished runners-up in Volume 1 before he captained his school in Volume 2 last year.
Rowles, a left-hand batter who can also bowl left-arm spin, has shown plenty of potential in South African cricket since. He was South Africa's leading run-scorer in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, scoring 280 runs in five innings at an average of 70 and a strike rate of 112. Rowles scored 98 off 93 against Afghanistan before slamming an unbeaten 125 off 101 deliveries against Tanzania.
In July, he showed promise in the longer format, scoring a double hundred in the second Youth Test against England U19. This came after he scored 42, 15 and 85 in the three Youth ODIs and twin fifties in the first Youth Test.
Even though 42-year-old Faf du Plessis earned as much as Rowles (R2.7 million) at the 2026 SA20 mini-auction, the flavour around the T20 franchise world is centred on youngsters. Take 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, last IPL season's Orange Cap winner, as a perfect example.
"The work is being done on recognising talent, the scouting behind the scenes. I think the mindset to promote youth is important. And obviously, you're talking about Sooryavanshi in the IPL. There are a number of U-23s, young players involved in our tournament. To think that Dewald Brevis is still U-23. And then you've got Jason Rowles fetching the highest number at the auction. I think for us, we are trying to grow the game of cricket. Those little stories really are nuggets in terms of helping build the kind of future talent and keeping cricket as a high-profile sport in our country that people want to be a part of," said SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith .
Spotting youth, nurturing it and investing in it is a double-edged sword. How much exposure is too much exposure? How do you ensure their talent remains untouched amid the external noise of hype, expectations and big money? It is something Indian cricket is grappling with when it comes to Sooryavanshi. Now, with Rowles entering that conversation, albeit at 18, Graeme Smith feels the players deserve the big bucks for their talent while also receiving support if needed.
"If you look at the world of sports, young sports talent is being paid very well across the board. Cricket is playing catch-up now with private ownership in terms of investment in youth and the increased professionalism of the game. So I think those stories are great," said former South Africa skipper Smith.
"Obviously, from a management perspective, we have the Players' Association in South Africa, which has a really good system in place in terms of supporting players, guiding them on financial investment and giving them support around the sport to help guide them. But if you're good enough in the world, you deserve to do well. And credit to the young talent right now that's being recognised and supported," he continued.
A year after Brevis, then 22, became the most expensive signing in SA20 history (R16.5 million) and delivered on that promise for Pretoria Capitals, scoring 370 runs at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 156.12 to emerge as the second-highest run-scorer in Season 4, it remains to be seen how 18-year-old Rowles fares for his local franchise.
MICT took it to R500,000 and then to R1 million. JSK stayed in it and took it to R1.5 million. MICT upped it to R2 million. JSK took it to R2.5 million and finally outbid their rivals at R2.9 million (Rs 1.69 crore). The 18-year-old from Johannesburg, still a matric pupil at St David’s Marist Inanda, was acquired at 14.5 times his base price.
"Robbie [Robin Peterson, the MICT] and his crew saw the same talent that we saw in Jason. He is a local boy from Joburg that we've tracked for a long time. We had a talent scout camp a year ago, which he attended. So he was someone on our radar," said Albie Morkel , head coach of JSK, in an interaction facilitated by the SA20 after the Season 5 Auction.
"Did I think he was going to go for that amount of money? No, definitely not. But he's someone that we really wanted. I think in that Rookie and now the U-23 spot, every franchise is looking for that guy who's going to be the next Lhuan-dre (Pretorius) or the next (Dewald) Brevis. Whether he will be that, time will tell. But he's a really talented guy."
"He's got a very good management team around him. So I'm sure, as a cricketer, with this money tag around his head now, over his head, they will manage it well. And from our side, from a coaching point of view and a franchise point of view, we'll give him every opportunity to grow into the player that we hope he will develop into," he continued.
Over a year ago, however, he was playing in the Schools SA20 Finals, a T20 competition created by the SA20 and Cricket South Africa (CSA) in 2024 to spot and encourage young talent. Representing St David's Marist, Rowles's team finished runners-up in Volume 1 before he captained his school in Volume 2 last year.
Rowles, a left-hand batter who can also bowl left-arm spin, has shown plenty of potential in South African cricket since. He was South Africa's leading run-scorer in the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year, scoring 280 runs in five innings at an average of 70 and a strike rate of 112. Rowles scored 98 off 93 against Afghanistan before slamming an unbeaten 125 off 101 deliveries against Tanzania.
In July, he showed promise in the longer format, scoring a double hundred in the second Youth Test against England U19. This came after he scored 42, 15 and 85 in the three Youth ODIs and twin fifties in the first Youth Test.
Even though 42-year-old Faf du Plessis earned as much as Rowles (R2.7 million) at the 2026 SA20 mini-auction, the flavour around the T20 franchise world is centred on youngsters. Take 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, last IPL season's Orange Cap winner, as a perfect example.
"The work is being done on recognising talent, the scouting behind the scenes. I think the mindset to promote youth is important. And obviously, you're talking about Sooryavanshi in the IPL. There are a number of U-23s, young players involved in our tournament. To think that Dewald Brevis is still U-23. And then you've got Jason Rowles fetching the highest number at the auction. I think for us, we are trying to grow the game of cricket. Those little stories really are nuggets in terms of helping build the kind of future talent and keeping cricket as a high-profile sport in our country that people want to be a part of," said SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith .
Spotting youth, nurturing it and investing in it is a double-edged sword. How much exposure is too much exposure? How do you ensure their talent remains untouched amid the external noise of hype, expectations and big money? It is something Indian cricket is grappling with when it comes to Sooryavanshi. Now, with Rowles entering that conversation, albeit at 18, Graeme Smith feels the players deserve the big bucks for their talent while also receiving support if needed.
"If you look at the world of sports, young sports talent is being paid very well across the board. Cricket is playing catch-up now with private ownership in terms of investment in youth and the increased professionalism of the game. So I think those stories are great," said former South Africa skipper Smith.
"Obviously, from a management perspective, we have the Players' Association in South Africa, which has a really good system in place in terms of supporting players, guiding them on financial investment and giving them support around the sport to help guide them. But if you're good enough in the world, you deserve to do well. And credit to the young talent right now that's being recognised and supported," he continued.
A year after Brevis, then 22, became the most expensive signing in SA20 history (R16.5 million) and delivered on that promise for Pretoria Capitals, scoring 370 runs at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 156.12 to emerge as the second-highest run-scorer in Season 4, it remains to be seen how 18-year-old Rowles fares for his local franchise.
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