As a fresh start with new innings in cricket, thirteen Indian cricketers have come forward for the fourth edition of SA20. The auction is scheduled for September 9 at Johannesburg, a day when 784 players will compete for 84 slots in the franchise-based annual league.
A list of thirteen retired Indian cricketers mention Piyush Chawla, Ankit Rajpoot and Siddharth Kaul who are also not active in the IPL. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) maintains a fixed criteria for all the candidates who come from India, strictly ensuring their retirement from the national side and mandating no official plan to feature in the IPL.
In previous editions, Dinesh Karthik who is the only Indian cricketer featuring in SA20 Season 3, playing for Paarl Royals. His official retirement from all types of cricket formats with no exception for the IPL allowed him to participate in the tournament.
Piyush Chawla as Frontrunner: SA20 Auction
Indian former leg spinner Piyush Chawla declared his retirement from all cricket formats in June 2025. Notably, Chawla has been part of multiple ICC events across ODI and T20I formats that India conquered over the years. In a short international career since 2006, he was featured in 25 ODIs and 7 T20Is, taking 32 and 4 wickets respectively until his call for retirement in 2012.
Chawla stayed active in the IPL for around 16 years since 2008, representing four teams till his last edition with Mumbai Indians in 2024. He played 192 matches, taking 192 wickets at the economy rate of 7.90. His presence in one of the SA20 franchises is set to make an immediate impact.
SA20 Auction for Season 4
The fund of USD 7.4 million is allotted to acquire top-notch veteran cricketers who can be game changer for six franchises. The upcoming event will take place on September 9 at Johannesburg where all six franchises will place bids for appointing cricketers to renew the squad.
- There is a provision for allowing a wildcard player who has roots to South Africa or overseas, receiving a payment beyond the general salary.
- Chawla’s reserve price is slated to be 1,000,000 Rand but all other Indian cricketers have been tagged with a base price of 200,000 Rand.
The season 4 is set to commence on December 26 with the final match scheduled to be played on January 25. The defending champions, MI Cape Town are set to face intense competition as after the SA20 auction, a renewed sense of ambition and hope will take over all other franchises as well.
Indian Cricketers in SA20 Auction
| Name | State |
|---|---|
| Mahesh Ahir | Gujarat |
| Sarul Kanwar | Punjab |
| Anureet Singh Kathuria | Delhi |
| Nikhil Jaga | Rajasthan |
| Mohamed Faidh | – |
| KS Naveen | Tamil Nadu |
| Ansari Marouf | – |
| Imran Khan | UPCA |
| Venkatesh Galipelly | – |
| Atul Yadav | UPCA |
| Piyush Chawla | UPCA |
| Kaul | Punjab |
| Ankit Rajpoot | – |
