The SA20 retention rules are very different from those of the IPL, and they look out for the best interests of the players, especially the South African stars. If a team lets a player go and he doesn’t find a buyer at the sale for at least one more year, the player will still get his full fee.
According to the rules that were shared with the teams, if a South African player took part in Season One, was released, and then wasn’t bought in Season Two’s sale, he will get his initial auction fee. Also, if a player is sold for less than his first-year salary, the team that held him will have to make up the difference.
This point was made by Graeme Smith. “For Season 2 of Betway SA20, South African players with multi-year contracts can be bought out of the second year by their team. The player will then go back into the auction pool, but their original contract fee is sure and will be deducted from their new league fee if they are picked up at the auction, the SA20 commissioner told Cricadda in a statement on Friday, June 30.
Tristan Stubbs, who was bought by Sunrisers Eastern Cape for R9.2m in the first auction, will be promised that amount for the second year even if his team lets him go or if he is bought for less in the second auction. If he gets more money, Sunrisers Eastern Cape won’t have to pay anything.
This rule is very different from the ones in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where players, especially Indian stars, do not have the same protections. But this shield only works this year because the players signed contracts for three years with a “2+1” rule that says the teams have to look out for the players’ best interests. If a person is let go after Season 2, the team will no longer be responsible.
“It’s not in a team’s best interest, but it’s a rule of the league that we have to follow,” said the owner of a team, who asked to remain anonymous because of confidentiality agreements. The owner also said that the amount owed would not be taken out of the sale purse, which is now worth R 39.1 million. This is an increase of R 5.1 million from Season One, when the purse was worth R 34 million.
The trading window for South African players opened on June 1, giving teams the chance to pre-sign, trade, buy out, or keep players before the auction, which is likely to happen in September.
Each team can pre-sign up to four players, and one of them must be a South African rookie who is 22 or younger and did not play in Season One. Also, the number of players on a team has been raised from 18 to 19. This includes rookies and “wild card” players, who must be signed before December. Like last year, the worth of the Wild Card player will not be included in the player purse. The value also doesn’t need to be talked about.
As in the past, teams must have at least 11 South African players on their teams. Teams can have no more than four players from outside South Africa in their starting XI on match day, and they must have at least seven South African players.
