Little-known Tristan Stubbs hit the jackpot and two of South Africa’s best-known players were left scratching their heads after being left on the outside looking in at the inaugural SA20 auction.
One would have expected South Africa’s Twenty20 captain Temba Bavuma and Test skipper Dean Elgar to be among the first to be inked by one of the six clubs but they were given the cold shoulder. This was embarrassing for the two captains who lead the Proteas. A total of 318 players went under the hammer and each club had a purse of US$2 million to fill out their squads with 17 players – 10 local and seven internationals for the tournament that will launch in January 2023. It may sound strange but the teams are owned and financed by six Indian Premier League clubs in a bid to help the game grow in the Rainbow Nation. Two leagues started in South Africa previously went the way of the dinosaur. The cash splurged this time may not be near IPL standards but it is high enough to make a huge impact on the lives of many South African players. IPL has churned out several millionaires and is head and shoulders above any league.
Stubbs laughed all the way to the bank after Sunrisers Eastern Cape won a bidding war to land the all-rounder for US$520,000 after being listed at $10,000. Stubbs made a name for himself after smashing a 28-ball 72 against England in the first T20 at Bristol earlier this year. That was good enough for the Proteas to include the 22-year-old in the Twenty20 World Cup squad and he was also signed up by IPL’s Mumbai Indians.
The other homegrown youngsters who also made waves at the auction were the 22-year-old Jansen twins – Marco and Duan – and the 24-year-old Donavon Ferreira.
The 6-foot-9 Marco has already established himself as an all-rounder on the Test squad and he will join Stubbs at Sunrisers after being snatched up for $344,000. His brother Duan was picked up by Cape Town for $186,000. The hard-hitting Ferreira like Stubbs also created a stir at the auction. He was listed at the base price of $10,000 but was snapped up by Super Kings for a mind-boggling $310,000.
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