South African batters Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram fetched record sums at the SA20 Season 4 player auction, becoming the most expensive buys in the league's history.
Brevis was bought by Sourav Ganguly-coached Pretoria Capitals for R16.5 million (approx Rs 8.3 crore), surpassing the previous record of R9.2 million (approx Rs 4.6 crore) paid for Tristan Stubbs in 2022.
The Centurion-based franchise, with new head coach Ganguly at the helm, beat stiff competition from Joburg Super Kings to secure the 22-year-old.
"I hope he does well. I think he is a tremendous talent. His game has really progressed over the last one-and-a-half years, as we saw against Australia," Ganguly stated in a release after the auction on Tuesday.
"On that tour, he showed he is a game-changer, and that's exactly what you need in T20 cricket. We have Russell, Rutherford, who can really step it up, and I hope Brevis does the same.
"I never associate performance with money. Leaving aside the R16.5 million, I believe he is a fantastic talent. He plays spin very well, which is extremely important, and taking everything into account, that’s why he went for that price."
Markram, South Africa's T20I captain, went to Durban's Super Giants for R14 million (approx Rs 7 crore) after Sunrisers Eastern Cape tried to retain him with a Right to Match card at R12.4 million.
"I'm always reluctant to talk about the numbers, but it is exciting to see the investment back into South African cricket,” SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith said after the auction. "The franchises have come and they've invested properly. You see they're getting behind the South African players.
"I think there's some proper talent. The platform that SA20 has provided has not only benefited them here (in South Africa), but benefited them in other leagues and internationally as well," he added.
Overall, the six franchises spent R129.3 million (approx Rs 65 crore) on 84 players, including R116.9 million (approx Rs 59 crore) on South Africans.
A total of R22.8 million (approx Rs 11.4 crore) was invested in 12 Under-23 players.
Among the youngsters, teenage pacer Kwena Maphaka was picked by Durban's Super Giants for R2.3 million, while Janco Smit (Joburg Super Kings), Bayanda Majola (Pretoria Capitals) and JJ Bason (Paarl Royals) also secured contracts for their debut SA20 seasons.
Joburg Super Kings signed allrounder Wiaan Mulder for R9 million (approx. Rs 4.5 crore) and left-arm seamer Nandre Burger for R6.3 million (approx Rs 3.1 crore).
Season 4 of the SA20 gets underway from December 26 to January 25, 2026.
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