SA20: Top 5 most expensive players in SA20 history

The SA20 has quickly established itself as a high-stakes T20 market. Big-money signings in recent auctions have been driven less by headline value and more by clear, role-based thinking. Teams pay top rand for players who change match balance through power, tempo, leadership or a rare skill set. Here are the five priciest buys in SA20 history and why each justified the price tag.

1. Dewald Brevis - R16.5 million (Pretoria Capitals)

Brevis’s R16.5 million fee at the latest auction made him the most expensive player in SA20 history. He’s not just a youngster with a big name, but he’s a modern middle-order batter who mixes clean timing with brutal finishing. Brevis scores through placement as much as power. He reads pace well, accelerates against both short and full balls, and has developed an ability to clear the infield under pressure. 

Pretoria Capitals spent heavily because Brevis offers immediate match-winning upside and long-term franchise value. He can bat in the middle or attack at the death, and he’s already proven he can do it against top opposition.

2. Aiden Markram - R14 million (Durban’s Super Giants)

Markram’s R14 million signing reflects a different premium in leadership plus class. He’s the SA20’s most successful captain and the kind of top-order batter who builds innings while keeping the strike rate healthy. 

Markram combines textbook technique with the capacity to accelerate through the middle overs. He’s also tactically astute as a captain who adds on-field strategy to scoring runs. For Durban, paying big for Markram bought both runs and the captaincy IQ that steadies a side across a season.

3. Tristan Stubbs - R9.2 million (Sunrisers Eastern Cape)

Stubbs’ R9.2 million haul at the inaugural auction was the benchmark for expensive SA20 buys until recent deals overtook it. He’s an instinctive hitter who accelerates from the middle overs and can play a finishing role or open with intent. Stubbs’ value comes from his versatility. He can take on pace or spin, and from being a young South African with international promise, which franchises prize because of local-player quotas and squad balance. He is very much like a perfect player a team looks for in a league.

4. Wiaan Mulder - R9 million (Joburg Super Kings)

Mulder represents the classical auction logic to buy a young South African all-rounder who covers multiple needs. He swings the ball up front, offers seam variety at the death, and can bat as a powerful lower-middle-order hitter. 

At R9 million, Mulder gives a team batting depth plus bowling overs that would otherwise require two specialists. This is exactly the kind of role compression teams value in a tightly limited squad. His price reflects immediate utility plus room to grow, which completely justifies the high price tag he has been carrying to his name in the SA20.

5. Gerald Coetzee - R7.4 million (Durban’s Super Giants)

Coetzee’s speed, aggressive new-ball approach and wicket-taking habit make him an obvious premium pick in South African conditions. He consistently takes the new ball and forces top-order collapses. In T20s, that feeds into better control for the rest of the bowling unit. 

Paying R7.4 million bought Durban a strike seamer who can win powerplays and create pressure. This is a high-leverage role that elevates the value of the bowlers around him.

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