James Anderson, Shakib Al Hasan Among Big Names in 541-Player SA20 2026 Auction List

James Anderson, Shakib Al Hasan Among Big Names in 541-Player SA20 2026 Auction List

Veteran England pacer James Anderson and Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan headline the list of 541 players set to go under the hammer in the SA20 2026 auction, scheduled for September 9.

At 43, Anderson’s name stands out as one of the most surprising entries. The former England Test great recently returned to the T20 circuit after nearly 11 years, turning out for Lancashire in the T20 Blast and later featuring in three matches for Manchester Originals in the Men’s Hundred. He joins a strong English contingent of 97 players in the auction pool, which also includes Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, and Tom Abell, the Player of the Match in the SA20 2024 final.

Joining Anderson among the headline acts is Shakib Al Hasan, alongside fellow Bangladeshi international Mustafizur Rahman. They are part of a 14-player contingent from Bangladesh.

Among the other overseas entrants, D'Arcy Short and Peter Hatzoglou are the only Australians in the auction pool, largely due to a scheduling clash between SA20 and the Big Bash League (BBL). Dipendra Singh Airee is the only Nepalese player in the pruned list, highlighting the growing global footprint of the league.

The auction features 241 overseas players competing for 25 available slots, and 300 South African players vying for the remaining 59 positions across the six franchises.

Notably, Aiden Markram, who chose not to be retained by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, leads a strong local contingent that includes fellow T20 World Cup 2024 runners-up such as Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Gerald Coetzee.

Each franchise must build a 19-member squad, which includes a minimum of two Under-23 players.

In terms of auction dynamics:

  • Pretoria Capitals enter the auction with the largest purse of R32.5 million (approx. USD 1.86 million) and 13 slots to fill, including five overseas.

  • MI Cape Town have the smallest purse at R11.5 million (approx. USD 0.65 million) and 12 vacant spots, including four overseas.

The SA20 continues to attract international interest, with league commissioner Graeme Smith recently stating that the tournament remains well-positioned despite competition from other global T20 leagues like the BBL.

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