SA20: Aiden Markram Breaks Up with Sunrisers Eastern Cape! Heads to Auction After 2 Titles
Aiden Markram leaves Sunrisers Eastern Cape, enters SA20 auction after two title-winning seasons.
In a surprising move, Aiden Markram has chosen not to be retained by Sunrisers Eastern Cape ahead of the SA20 2025 auction.
The 29-year-old, who led the franchise to back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, has informed the team management of his decision to enter the auction pool.
Despite his success as captain and with the bat, he finished as the third-highest run-scorer in 2025 when Sunrisers ended as runners-up, Markram has decided to test the waters in what promises to be the biggest SA20 auction yet.
The auction is set to take place on September 9, and Sunrisers will still have the right-to-match option if they wish to bring Markram back.
The move comes ahead of the official retentions announcement on July 23. Franchises this season are allowed only six retentions or pre-signings, making every spot more valuable.
Big names like Kagiso Rabada, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Nicholas Pooran have already been snapped up.
Sunrisers have retained Tristan Stubbs and brought in Jonny Bairstow and Adam Milne in the pre-signings, with Marco Jansen picked as their wildcard.
This season, the auction will see 72 spots up for grabs, with a salary cap raised to R41 million (around USD 2.31 million). For the first time, franchises can use a wildcard pick before the auction rather than after.
The league also won’t clash much with ILT20 this time, giving teams better access to top players.
With Markram up for grabs, the SA20 auction just got a lot more interesting.
