Tuesday’s SA20 Season 4 Player Auction records were broken by Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram, who became the most costly purchases in the whole auction’s history. The entire cricket world was aflutter during the intense bidding wars for the marquee sets because the South African top-order batsmen, who were the talk of the town before being hammered by Richard Madley, were in high demand in Johannesburg.
Tristan Stubbs of Sunrisers Eastern Cape set the previous SA20 auction record with R9.2 million (about INR 4.6 crore) at the inaugural auction in Cape Town in 2022.
The Super Giants of Durban paid R14 million (about INR 7 crore) to recruit Markram. Twelve Under-23 players received R22.8 million (about INR 11 crore) of the massive R116.9 million (around INR 59 crore) spent on South African players.
In total, the six franchises invested R129.3 million, or roughly INR 65 crore, in 84 players, enabling them to reach their full potential and contribute to the forthcoming Season 4.
Pretoria Capitals purchased Dewald Brevis for an astounding R16.5 million, or roughly INR 8.3 crore.
Brevis became the most expensive player ever purchased at the SA20 auction when the Pretoria Capitals, led by Indian legend and new coach Sourav Ganguly, won a bidding war with the Johannesburg Super Kings to acquire him for an incredible R16.5 million (roughly INR 8.3 crore).
“I hope he succeeds. He has a great talent, in my opinion. As we seen against Australia, his game has significantly improved over the past 18 months. He demonstrated during that tour that he is a game-changer, which is just what T20 cricket requires. Rutherford and Russell are capable of stepping up, and I hope Brevis does the same. Performance and money are never related to me. He is a great talent, even if you ignore the R 16.5 million. Sourav Ganguly, the head coach of the Pretoria Capitals, expressed his thoughts on signing Brevis. “He plays spin very well, which is extremely important, and taking everything into account, that’s why he went for that price.”
Brevis, a 22-year-old Pretoria native, will rejoin Centurion after spending the last three seasons playing for MI Cape Town. Brevis’ acquisition came just 12 minutes after Aiden Markram, who was purchased for R14 million (about INR 7 crore), in an incredibly thrilling Marquee Set 1.
After Sunrisers Eastern Cape used their Right to Match (RTM) card to try their best to retain their former captain at the initial auction price of R12.4 million (roughly INR 6.2 crore), before DSG increased their bid by an additional R1.6 million (roughly INR 80 lakhs), Proteas T20I captain Markram will move to Kingsmead.
Following the auction, the SA20 League Commissioner remarked, “I’m always hesitant to talk about the numbers, but it is exciting to see the investment back into South African cricket.”
“There was never any investment like this. Franchises have arrived and made the necessary investments. As you can see, they are supporting the South African athletes. Additionally, I believe it’s a testament to the players’ development over the past three or four years. There appears to be some talent, in my opinion. They have profited from the platform that SA20 has given them not only in South Africa but also in other leagues and beyond. I believe they deserve praise for their performances. They’ve stood out and done well, so they’ve gotten the prices,” he continued.
Tristan Stubbs of Sunrisers Eastern Cape set the previous SA20 auction record with R9.2 million (about INR 4.6 crore) at the inaugural auction in Cape Town in 2022. With the purchase of Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder for R9 million (about INR 4.5 crore) and left-arm seamer Nandre Burger for R6.3 million (around INR 3.1 crore), the Johannesburg Super Kings came very near.
In total, the six franchises invested R129.3 million, or roughly INR 65 crore, in 84 players, enabling them to reach their full potential and contribute to the forthcoming Season 4.
Twelve Under-23 players received R22.8 million (about INR 11.4 crore) of the massive R116.9 million (around INR 59 crore) spent on South African players.
Promising young players Janco Smit, Bayanda Majola, and JJ Bason were selected by the Johannesburg Super Kings, Pretoria Capitals, and Paarl Royals, respectively, to mark their debut SA20 seasons, while rising teenage pacer Kwena Maphaka will be a member of the Durban Super Giants squad after being acquired for R2.3 million (roughly INR 1.1 crore).
“Our investment in young players has never been higher. I believe more than R22 million was spent on young South African cricket players in the Under-23s, which is amazing,” Smith remarked.
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