Bangladeshi pace bowler Nahid Rana will miss the upcoming season of South Africa’s SA20 league after failing to secure a buyer during the mini-auction held on Wednesday, 8 October. Despite entering the draft with high expectations on the back of his impressive international outings, the raw pace prospect went unsold as franchise managers finalized their remaining squad slots.
Rana was listed at a base price of 1.5 million South African Rand (SAR), which translates to more than 10 million Bangladeshi Taka. Renowned for his ability to consistently extract sharp bounce and clock high speeds in international fixtures, the youngster nevertheless failed to provoke a bidding battle among the buyers.
His exclusion means leg-spinner Risad Hossain will stand as Bangladesh’s sole representative in the tournament. Secured earlier in the year by Sunrisers Eastern Cape, Risad is set to feature for the reigning champions. His ability to deliver wrist-spin combined with his capacity for useful lower-order big hitting makes him an attractive all-round proposition. Adapting to South African conditions will offer the young spinner invaluable experience on the foreign franchise circuit, provided he breaks into the matchday XI.
The mini-auction featured 156 players in total, comprising 95 South African domestic talents and 61 international cricketers. Only four of the six participating franchises took part in the bidding, as both Durban’s Super Giants and Paarl Royals had already completed their maximum allowed 19-player rosters prior to the event.
Across the four active franchises, 20 open slots were available. Teams operated under a combined purse limit of SAR 35.025 million to fill these vacancies. Additionally, Johannesburg Super Kings held a wildcard option that operated outside the traditional squad salary cap.
Several established marquee names found new teams during the session, including West Indian veteran Kieron Pollard, former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis, New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult, West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, and South Africa’s national white-ball captain Temba Bavuma.
The third season of the SA20 kicks off on 17 January, concluding with the grand final on 21 February. Sunrisers Eastern Cape enter the campaign as defending champions after lifting the trophy last season, aiming for another title run with Risad amongst their ranks.