South Africa's top talent locked in as six franchises announce retained and pre-signed players ahead of auction
Mitchell Marsh, Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt are some of the international stars set to feature in Season 5 of Betway SA20, with all six teams announcing their retained and pre-signed players today.
The remainder of the squads will be finalised at the 7 October Auction, which will only feature 19 available slots, with most of the teams retaining the core of their squads and South Africa’s top talent.
Former Australia captain and ICC T20 World Cup winner Marsh is in line to make his Betway SA20 debut. The allrounder, who has 88 T20I caps, will bring his global experience and powerful top-order stroke-play to triple champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where he will play alongside the 2026 Betway Player of the Season, Quinton de Kock.
Marsh's presence will fuel the excitement down in Gqeberha for the opening match against Pretoria Capitals at St George's Park on 17 January 2027.
Fellow Aussie international Matthew Short will also be involved in the Opener, with the prolific batter set to debut for the Pretoria Capitals.
The Centurion embankments can expect sixes to fly as the Capitals welcome the return of England dynamo Salt. Salt was a formidable force for the Capitals in the opening two Betway SA20 seasons and has since added to his impressive striking repertoire, which has seen him move up to No 4 on the ICC T20I batting rankings.
Season 4 power-hitter Sherfane Rutherford returns this season, reuniting with fellow big-hitter Dewald Brevis and the recently crowned Proteas T20I Player of the Year, Lungi Ngidi.
Two teams, DSG and Paarl Royals, have opted to complete their full 19-player squad rosters ahead of the upcoming Auction.
For the Royals, newly appointed England test captain Root will return for a second spell where he will again play alongside 2025 Bowler of the Season, Ottneil Baartman and Proteas David Miller and Lhuan-dre Pretorius. Root was a popular figure at Boland Park in Season 3 and was instrumental in guiding the teenage Pretorius through his professional debut that season.
Durban’s Super Giants (DSG) will be bolstered by England allrounder Sam Curran, who is set to spearhead the attack at Kingsmead. Curran is no stranger to Betway SA20, having played the first two seasons in Cape Town.
He will now call Durban home alongside Proteas captain Aiden Markram, former England captain Jos Buttler, legendary West Indies mystery spinner Sunil Narine and the explosive Heinrich Klaasen, who once again lit up the IPL with a series of blistering performances this season.
MI Cape Town have pre-signed destructive England allrounder Will Jacks. The 27-year-old was sensational at Pretoria Capitals for three seasons, where he earned a reputation for contributing to the most one-handed catches on the Centurion grass banks.
Newlands fans will be hoping Jacks can repeat his big-hitting towards the Oaks. Jacks joins a talented Cape outfit which includes Proteas speedster Kagiso Rabada, SA20’s all-time leading run-scorer Ryan Rickelton and West Indies master blaster Nicholas Pooran.
Betway SA20 will retain its strong Caribbean flavour, with West Indies allrounder Jason Holder moving to Joburg Super Kings (JSK), where he will team up with fellow West Indian Akeal Hosein at the Wanderers. Englishman James Vince returns to the Bullring alongside the clean-hitting Donovan Ferreira and Season 4 breakout star, Dian Forrester.
“Season 5 is shaping up to be our strongest yet,” Betway SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith, said. “Bringing in a player of Mitchell Marsh's calibre alongside the class of Joe Root, Sam Curran, and Phil Salt shows the growing pull of our league on the global stage. What excites me most is seeing that quality sit alongside the prime of South Africa's international and domestic stars.”
Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town will be the most active at the Auction, with both franchises required to fill six vacant spots, including one Under-23 player each.
Pretoria Capitals also have space for five players, while Sunrisers Eastern Cape have two spots still available.
All franchises have reached their capacity for overseas pre-signed slots, although Joburg Super Kings still have the option of a Wildcard.
“The franchises head into the Auction with the majority of their squads already locked in, which speaks volumes about the stability and consistency we have built. This sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5,” Smith concluded.
Season 5 of Betway SA20 gets underway on Sunday, 17 January at St George’s Park, culminating with the Final at Newlands on Sunday, 21 February. Fans can get first pick of seats before tickets go on general sale by registering now for the Season 5 early access pre-sale at https://sa20.mobi/s5-ticket-presale-registration. Playoffs and Final tickets are included.