Asa Tribe’s impressive breakthrough campaign has been rewarded with a maiden franchise deal as the 21-year-old was picked by the Paarl Royals in the Betway SA20 on the same day he made a career-best 206 for Glamorgan in the County Championship.
Tribe was purchased by the Rajasthan Royals-owned franchise in Tuesday’s Player Auction held in Johannesburg for a price of R200,000 after averaging 34.66 at a strike rate of over 150 in a commendable first T20 Blast campaign, and will follow the likes of Jos Buttler and Joe Root in representing the franchise.
His double-century in the first innings against Northamptonshire capped a rich vein of form for the Jersey international who, in doing so, passed 50 runs in six consecutive innings for club and country, including back-to-back centuries in the Metro Bank One Day Cup and a List A best score of 175 not out for Jersey in the ICC Challenge League.
He will link up at the Royals alongside Surrey’s Dan Lawrence this winter, who is one of six English players also set to feature in the SA20 league for the first time.
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Most expensive
Pace bowler Saqib Mahmood was the most expensive English player at the auction by joining Pretoria Capitals for R1.5 million, where he will play alongside top-order batters Will Jacks and Will Smeed who are the only two English players to return to the same franchise.
Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper Tom Moores earned a deal at the reigning champions MI Cape Town, whilst 2025 losing finalists Sunrisers Eastern Cape secured the services of highly-rated Sussex all-rounder James Coles and Hampshire’s crafty left-arm seamer Chris Wood.
Meanwhile, after establishing himself as a leading overseas player in the Australian Big Bash League for nine consecutive seasons, James Vince will have new surroundings this winter as he was pre-signed by the Joburg Super Kings, who have also added experienced bowlers Richard Gleeson and Reece Topley to their ranks.
Pre-auction signing
England star Jos Buttler was another pre-auction signing, this time for the Durban Super Giants, as was the big-hitting Jonny Bairstow who was locked in by Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
Elsewhere, Somerset duo Lewis Gregory and Craig Overton were both sold under the hammer to Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Pretoria Capitals respectively, both set for their second stints in the competition.
James Anderson and Moeen Ali were among the big names registered to go unsold, as was the in-form Jordan Cox though it is believed the Hundred winner has signed a lucrative deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 league which runs parallel to the SA20.
Notable omission
Middlesex’s Leus du Plooy was another notable omission after three successful years with the Joburg Super Kings, with the competition’s seventh-leading run-scorer perhaps a victim of his now England-qualified overseas status.
South Africa Test and One Day captain Temba Bavuma also did not receive any suitors, though legend Imran Tahir did earn a return to the Super Kings at the age of 46 in the final round of the auction.
Dan Lategan, 19, is a name to keep an eye on as he was picked up by MI Cape Town, with the South African-born batter currently on the books at Worcestershire as an overseas player with a view to becoming locally-qualified and was impressive in his debut One Day Cup campaign.
Regarded as one of the most exciting talents in world cricket, Dewald Brevis unsurprisingly stole the headlines as the 22-year-old smashed the record by becoming the most expensive player in SA20 auction history when Pretoria Capitals, led by new coach Sourav Ganguly, made the most of their large remaining purse to win an intense bidding war at a whopping R16.5 million (almost £700,000).
Broken record
Aiden Markram, who is captaining South Africa in the T20 leg of the ongoing white ball series against England, had earlier also broken the record set by Tristan Stubbs in the inaugural auction, when he was snapped up by Durban Super Giants for R14 million after Sunrisers Eastern Cape had used their Right to Match card at the initial price of R12.4 million.
The six franchises spent a total of R129.3 million, R22.8 million of which was invested on emerging U23 players, an indication of the growth and impact this competition has had on domestic cricket in South Africa since its inception in 2023 and why many feel it is now the leading franchise tournament behind the Indian Premier League.
The fourth edition of the Betway SA20 gets underway on December 26, a slightly earlier than usual start date to accommodate the T20 World Cup in February.
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