While a draft or an auction system is generally introduced for the signing of the players in different leagues around the world, it might not be the case in the new CSA T20 league. The players might be signed directly by the franchises, but for that, they will have to sign up for the tournament with Cricket South Africa (CSA).
The CSA T20 league is the first tournament where the IPL franchises own all the teams. It has been reported by ESPNcricinfo that CSA might allow the IPL franchises to directly sign their already contracted overseas players for their corresponding franchises in the CSA league.
For instance, Jos Buttler plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and if he signs up for the CSA league, the franchise owned by the Royals in the CSA league will be allowed to sign Buttler if they want. Similar criteria will apply in the case of other players and other franchises as well.
Apart from signing overseas players for their corresponding franchises, the IPL franchises will also be able to sign one player from the list of the marquee South African players. The list of the marquee South African players will be prepared by CSA and released later.
Direct signings might be allowed even for local players in CSA T20 league
There is still slight uncertainty how the rest of the squad will be constructed after the one marquee South African player and the overseas players are signed by each franchise.
The current reports suggest that direct signings are being considered for the local South African players as well, but the signings will have to be done from a pool that will be approved by CSA. If the franchises wish to sign any other player outside the pool approved by CSA, they must seek CSA’s permission before signing.
The top players in the CSA T20 league will, reportedly, be earning 300,000 USD, which is close to 2.3 crore INR.
