SA20 2026-27: Newly appointed England Test captain Joe Root will be returning to SA20 2026-27 season later this yearAfter missing the 2025-26 season, Root is set to return to ‘pink colours’ of Paarl Royals later this year for Season 5 of the leagueThe Paarl Royals are the sister franchise of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Rajasthan Royals – who have new owners this year in a consortium led by billionaire Laxmi Mittal.
Root had turned out for Paarl Royals in SA20 2024-25 season with 279 runs in 8 matches at an average of 55.8 at a strike-rate of 140.2 with 3 fiftiesSanjiv Goenka-owned Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals are the only two teams to have completed their 19-player squads before the auction, with 19 slots still available across the remaining four teams.
Here is full squads of Paarl Royals and Durban’s Super Giants…
Paarl Royals squad for SA20.
Durban’s Super Giants squad for SA20.
The milestone fifth season of the SA20 is set to get bigger and better, with T20 superstars Mitchell Marsh, Sam Curran, Jason Holder and Phil Salt joining the fold as the six franchises confirmed their pre-auction retentions and signings ahead of the new edition.
Mitchell Marsh, Australia’s T20 captain and part of the Leeds side in the Sunrisers universe in The Hundred, is in line to make his SA20 debut for the three-time champions Sunrisers Eastern CapeMarsh will join the likes of Quinton de Kock, Matthew Breetzke, Jordan Hermann and captain Tristan Stubbs in a powerful batting line-up, set to enthral the loyal St George’s Park crowd.
Check Sunrisers Eastern Cape squad for SA20 so far…
Sunrisers Eastern Cape squad for SA20.
Joe Root’s England teammate and all-rounder Sam Curran, who represented MI Cape Town in the first two seasons, will don the Durban’s Super Giants colours, where he will team up with his England teammate Jos Buttler.
Root, who formed a formidable opening partnership with young Lhuan-dre Pretorius for the Paarl Royals a couple of seasons ago, returns to Boland Park for another season in pinkHe has scored 3192 runs in 136 T20 games with 20 fifties at a strike-rate of 128.24.
The runners-up, Pretoria Capitals, have received a significant boost to their top order with the additions of Phil Salt and Australian international Matt ShortSalt, who has represented the Capitals previously, will reunite with Short at the top of the order, with the pair currently opening together for Welsh Fire in The Hundred.
The duo adds further firepower to a batting line-up featuring Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell and last season’s breakout star Connor EsterhuizenEngland all-rounder Will Jacks, who enjoyed three sensational seasons with the Capitals, has moved down south to Cape Town to complete the trio of MI franchises, being part of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and currently playing for the MI London setup in The Hundred.
Check Pretoria Capitals squad HERE…
Pretoria Capitals squad for SA20.
“Season 5 is shaping up to be our strongest yetBringing 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 stageWhat excites me most is seeing that quality alongside South Africa’s international and domestic stars at the peak of their powers,” SA20 League Commissioner Graeme Smith said.
“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 builtThis sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5,” Smith added.
On the other hand, MLC-winning captain Jason Holder will don the yellow of the Joburg Super Kings, who are on the hunt for a new captain after parting ways with Faf du Plessis, who led the side in its first four seasonsAmong the other prominent releases is England wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow, who formed a formidable opening partnership with Quinton de Kock for the Sunrisers.
Check Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town squads HERE…
Joburg Super Kings squad for SA20.
MI Cape Town squad for SA20.
MI Cape Town have also parted ways with long-serving players Trent Boult, Rassie van der Dussen and Kieron Pollard, while the likes of Wiaan Mulder and Nandre Burger, who were marquee signings for the Super Kings, will also enter the auction pool.
The Super Kings and MI Cape Town will be the busiest teams at the auction, needing to sign seven and six players respectively, while the Capitals have five vacant slots to fillAll six teams have filled their overseas pre-signing slots, while the Super Kings will be eligible for a wildcard pick.
Season 5 of the SA20 gets underway on Sunday, January 17, at St George’s Park, with the Sunrisers taking on the Capitals in a repeat of last season’s finalThe competition culminates with the Final at Newlands on Sunday, February 21.
