SA20 Auction 2025 organizers said 541 players have been shortlisted for the auction, down from more than 800 who had registered for the tournament at the outset. There are 300 South Africans and 241 foreign cricketers on the list, but not a single Pakistani cricketer.

The possible reason, that analysts suggest, is that no Pakistani has played in the SA20 since its formation. Although the officials have never made an official statement but it is perceived that the reason for the exclusion relates to the poor political relations between India and Pakistan.

The other reason is that all the six SA20 franchises—MI Cape Town, Joburg Super Kings, Durban s Super Giants, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Paarl Royals, and Pretoria Capitals—are owned by groups of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises. Pakistani cricketers have also been excluded from the IPL since 2008, as compared to their active participation in non-Indian owned leagues like the CPL, BBL, BPL, The Hundred, MLC, and ILT20.

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The lacuna is even more evident in the context of Pakistan s T20 superstars such as Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan. Their repeated exclusion raises doubts whether Pakistani participation will ever be witnessed in upcoming editions.

The auction, taking place on September 9 in Johannesburg, will witness franchises splashing R131 million (US$7.37m) for 84 roster positions. The SA20 starts on December 26, 2025.