SA20 2027 Retentions and Pre-Signed Players (Source: X.com/SA20)On Wednesday, all six SA20 franchises confirmed their retained and pre-signed players ahead of Season 5, with the remaining 19 slots to be filled at the Player Auction on 7 October. The tournament, which was established in 2022, is South Africa's equivalent of the Big Bash or Indian Premier League and features some of South Africa's and the world's biggest cricketing names.There are six teams involved, all owned by IPL franchises. The teams are: Durban's Super Giants, Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Paarl Royals, Pretoria Capitals, Sunrisers Eastern Cape.That being said, this article includes the complete squad status for every franchise, the biggest new overseas arrivals, and the number of available slots for each team ahead of the SA20 2027 Auction.SA20 2027 Retentions and Pre-signings: Most notable updatesAustralia’s T20I captain Mitchell Marsh headlined the SA20 2026 squad announcements on August 5, 2026. Marsh is set to make his SA20 debut for triple champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape alongside 2026 Player of the Season Quinton de Kock.Also read: SA20 2027 Schedule Announced, Set To Start From January 17Notably, the duo will feature in the tournament opener against Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park on 17 January, where Australian Matthew Short will make his own SA20 debut for the Capitals.Meanwhile, Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals have already completed their full 19-player rosters ahead of the auction. SA20 squads so far before the 2027 auction1) Durban Super GiantsRetained Players: David Bedingham, Ethan Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Daryn Dupavillon, Simon Harmer, Evan Jones, Aiden Markram, Kyle Simmonds, Marques AckermanPre-signings: Jos Buttler, Devon Conway, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Sunil Narine, Kane WilliamsonWildcard: Heinrich KlaasenU-23 Players: Kwena Maphaka, Andile SimelaneSpots Remaining: 02) MI Cape TownRetained Players: Corbin Bosch, Reeza Hendricks, Thomas Kaber, George Linde, Dane Piedt, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tiaan van VuurenPre-signings: Rashid Khan, Will Jacks, Nicholas PooranWildcard: Kagiso RabadaU-23 Players: Tristan LuusSpots Remaining: 63) Paarl RoyalsRetained Players: Ottneil Baartman, Bjorn Fortuin, Rubin Hermann, Keagan Lion-Cachet, David Miller, Delano Potgieter, Kyle Verreynne, Hardus ViljoenPre-signings: Sikandar Raza, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Joe Root, Thomas Rew, Asa Tribe, Dan Lawrence, Gudakesh Motie, Azmatullah OmarzaiWildcard: Joe RootU-23 Players: JJ Basson, Nqobani Mokoena, Lhuan-dre PretoriusSpots Remaining: 04) Pretoria CapitalsRetained Players: Connor Esterhuizen, Wihan Lubbe, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Bryce Parsons, Gideon Peters, Lizaad Williams, Codi YusufPre-signings: Phil Salt, Sherfane Rutherford, Matthew ShortWildcard: Andre RussellU-23 Players: Dewald Brevis, Bayanda MajolaSpots Remaining: 55) Sunrisers Eastern CapeRetained Players: Matthew Breetzke, Quinton de Kock, Jordan Hermann, Patrick Kruger, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla, Tristan Stubbs, Mitchell Van BuurenPre-signings: Mitchell Marsh, Adam Milne, James Coles, Lewis Gregory, Rishad HossainWildcard: Marco JansenU-23 Players: CJ King, JP KingSpots Remaining: 26) Joburg Super KingsRetained Players: Matthew de Villiers, Donovan Ferreira, Dian Forrester, Duan Jansen, Rilee Rossouw, Janco Smit, Prenelan SubrayenPre-signings: Leus du Plooy, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, James VinceWildcard: TBCU-23 Players: Jarren BacherSpots Remaining: 8Graeme Smith sums up SA20 2027 squads before auctionThe former South African cricketer and current SA20 League Commissioner, Graeme Smith, praised the SA20 league's strong growth. Also read: Super Kings Franchise Sign Jason Holder, Bid Adieu To One Of Their Longest-Serving PlayersHe also highlighted the improvement in cricket quality and expressed confidence that the tournament is going to have a strong finish. League Commissioner Graeme Smith highlighted the competition’s growing global appeal following the roster announcements. “Season 5 is shaping up to be our strongest yet. Bringing 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 stage." "What excites me most is seeing that quality sit alongside the prime of South Africa’s international and domestic stars. 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 built. This sets us up for a highly competitive Season 5,” added Smith.Also read: Funniest Cricket Moments Ft. Himmat Singh Run Out, Rohit Sharma Wardrobe Malfunction