With the 2026 edition of the SA20 fast approaching, all six franchises have revealed their list of retained players ahead of the player auction scheduled for September.

A host of global T20 stars have been retained by their respective franchises, keeping fan expectations high for another thrilling season.

The league, which has gained tremendous popularity since its inception, allows each team to retain a core group of players before the fresh auction cycle. This year's retention phase saw teams opting for a balanced mix of seasoned international campaigners and rising local talent.

Franchise Retentions & Wildcards

Durban’s Super Giants

Retained/Pre-signed: Sunil Narine, Noor Ahmad, Jos Buttler

Wildcard: Heinrich Klaasen

Remaining Budget: Approx. 1.6 million USD

Joburg Super Kings

Retained: Faf du Plessis, James Vince, Akeal Hosein, Richard Gleeson

Wildcard: Donovan Ferreira

Remaining Budget: Approx. 1.2 million USD

MI Cape Town

Retained: Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Corbin Bosch

Overseas Kept: Rashid Khan, Trent Boult, Nicholas Pooran

Wildcard: Kagiso Rabada

Remaining Budget: Approx. 654,000 USD

Paarl Royals

Retained: Lhuan-dre Pretorius (2025 Batter of the Season), David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin

Pre-signed: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

Wildcard: Rubin Hermann

Remaining Budget: Approx. 825,000 USD

Pretoria Capitals

Pre-signed: Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford

Wildcard: Andre Russell

Remaining Budget: Approx. 1.8 million USD

Note: They need to fill 16 more player slots in the auction

Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Retained: Tristan Stubbs, Allah Ghazanfar, Adam Milne, Jonny Bairstow

Wildcard: Marco Jansen

Captain Aiden Markram: Not retained; will enter the auction pool, but the franchise can use a right-to-match card to retain him if needed

Each franchise could retain up to six players before the auction and select one wildcard player outside of their salary cap.

A new right-to-match (RTM) rule is in place, allowing teams to match the auction price of one previously contracted player to bring them back.

The total team purse has been increased to 41 million ZAR (approximately 2.31 million USD), allowing for greater auction flexibility.

To promote youth development, each squad must include at least two players under the age of 23.

The SA20 2026 auction is expected to take place in early September, with teams likely to battle it out for the few available slots.