Aiden Markram snubs Sunrisers Eastern Cape to enter the SA20 auction ahead of the 2026 season

Aiden Markram has chosen not to be retained by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, the team he guided to consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024, in a major move ahead of the forthcoming SA20 2026 season. The seasoned South African batter has instead chosen to participate in the player auction, which is scheduled for September 9.

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Markram, who led the Sunrisers during their most successful seasons and finished as the third-highest run scorer in the 2025 season, when they finished as runners-up, told the management of his choice.

SA20, now in its fourth iteration, has seen many format alterations. This year, teams can retain or pre-sign up to six players, the fewest since the league's founding. Another significant change is the addition of a wildcard pick prior to the auction, which can be utilized to sign either an overseas or local player at a price outside of the team's budget.

The six teams have 72 out of 102 roster positions available to fill. The salary cap has also been lifted to R41 million (roughly USD 2.31 million), allowing clubs greater financial flexibility.

Aiden Markram bids goodbye to Kavya Maran’s team ahead of the SA20 auction

Unlike previous editions, SA20 2026 will enjoy a largely exclusive window, with minimal scheduling conflict with the ILT20, allowing for broader player availability. The tournament kicks off on December 26.

Meanwhile, Aiden Markram, who had captained Sunrisers Eastern Cape to consecutive SA20 titles, has decided to try his luck and has decided to ente the SA20 2026 auction. Sunrisers, though, will have the option to use the right-to-match card in case they want to buy Markram back.

The following is the list of players retained by each franchise.

MI Cape Town

Retained: Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Ryan Rickelton, Kagiso Rabada, George Linde, Corbin Bosch

Pre-signing: Nicholas Pooran

Sunrisers Eastern Cape

Pre-signing: Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Adam Milne

Retained: Tristan Stubbs

Wild Card: Marco Jansen

Johannesburg Super Kings

Retained: Faf du Plessis, Donovan Ferreira

Pre-signing: James Vince, Akeal Hosein

Pretoria Capitals

Pre-signing: Andre Russell, Will Jacks, Sherfane Rutherford

Paarl Royals

Retentions: Lhuan-de-Pretorius, David Miller, Bjorn Fortuin

Pre-signing: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman

Durban Super Giants

Pre-signing: Sunil Narine, Jos Buttler

Retained: Noor Ahmed

Wild Card: Heinrich Klaasen

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