5 big names who went unsold in SA20 2025 Auction ft. Temba Bavuma
The third edition of SA20 is set to commence on January 9, 2025, with SunRisers Eastern Cape facing MI Cape Town in the opening match. The auction for the same took place on Tuesday, October 1.
Several prominent players were available, including South Africa's Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Colin Ingram, Martin Guptill, and Shamar Joseph. Reeza Hendricks attracted the highest bid, being sold to MI Cape Town for R4.3 million.
England seamer Richard Gleeson was acquired by SunRisers Eastern Cape for R2.3 million. Paarl Royals filled their sole available spot by selecting wicketkeeper Rubin Hermann for R175k.
West Indies batter Evin Lewis was sold to Pretoria Capitals for R1.5 million while Durban's Super Giants added seamer Shamar Joseph to their roster for R425k.
Meanwhile, on October 2, Joburg Super Kings announced Sri Lankan bowler Matheesha Pathirana as their wildcard player. A total of 19 players were sold but several notable names went without a team. On that note, we look at five big names who went unsold in the SA20 2025 Auction.
#1 Temba Bavuma
Proteas Test and ODI captain Temba Bavuma went unsold in the auction. The 34-year-old had a base price of R175k but received no bids. Earlier this year, he was dropped from the South African T20I team, with Aiden Markram taking over as captain while the side finished as runners-up in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Bavuma previously played for SunRisers Eastern Cape, participating in five matches over two seasons of SA20 and scoring 85 runs.
Overall, he has played 36 T20Is for South Africa, scoring 670 runs at an average of 21.61, with one fifty to his name. Considering his underwhelming T20 record, it was not surprising that he went unsold in SA20 2025.
#2 Tony de Zorzi
Another South African international who went unsold was left-handed batter Tony de Zorzi. His lackluster performance in the 2023-24 SA20, where he played six matches for Durban's Super Giants and managed to score only 61 runs, led to no bidders for his base price of R175k this time.
Overall, the 27-year-old has played 71 T20 matches, amassing 1,219 runs at an average of just 19.04. However, his ODI performance for South Africa has been much more impressive; in eight matches, de Zorzi has scored 344 runs at an average of 49.14.
#3 Joshua Little
Another player on the list is Ireland seamer Joshua Little. The pacer had a base price of R850k but went unsold. He previously played two matches in the 2022-23 season for Pretoria Capitals, where he took two wickets.
It was surprising that the 24-year-old remained unsold given his impressive record and experience. Little has appeared in 69 T20Is for Ireland, claiming 78 wickets. Additionally, he has competed in the Indian Premier League, where he took 11 wickets in as many matches.
#4 Kamindu Mendis
Kamindu Mendis has been making a notable impact in international cricket, especially in Test matches, where he has accumulated 1,004 runs in eight games at an impressive average of 91.27, including five centuries. Despite this, the Sri Lankan cricketer, who had a base price of R850k, went unsold.
In T20Is, Mendis has played 16 matches for Sri Lanka, scoring 280 runs with one fifty. He also boasts experience in the Lanka Premier League, having scored 782 runs in 39 games. However, his T20 statistics were not strong enough to secure him a place in SA20 2025.
#5 Naseem Shah
Another notable player who went unsold was Pakistani seamer Naseem Shah. The 21-year-old had a base price of R1.5 million but remained unsold, primarily because Pakistan is set to face the West Indies in a two-match series in January, making the pacer unavailable for the entire season.
Naseem has played 28 T20Is for Pakistan, claiming 24 wickets. He also has experience in various leagues, including the Pakistan Super League, Lanka Premier League, and Caribbean Premier League.