The shortlist for the SA20 Season 3 player auction has been announced in advance of the auction, which is going to bring a lot of interest from around the world into South Africa's premier T20 competition. Close to 600 players showed up to put their applications during the players registration, but just a few have proceeded onto the final list, which promises to bring some of the world's biggest names in cricket. The list tops some very big names. One is West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph, who has become something of a sensation in cricket over the past year. This fast bowler had brought much attention earlier this year when he helped the West Indies win their first Test victory over Australia in 27 years with a seven-wicket haul. That performance stunned the cricketing world and earned him a prized place on this auction list. Since that brilliant performance, Joseph has not stopped astounding in Test matches and T20 Internationals. West Indian Caribbean teammate Matthew Forde joins the rostrum with an impressive group of fast bowlers from England with Jake Ball, Saqib Mahmood, Ollie Robinson, and Josh Hull, to mention a few who have performed quite credibly for their respective countries. Another left-arm seamer from Ireland, Josh Little, played in the first season with Pretoria Capitals of SA20 and features in this mix and will be looking for a return to South Africa T20 Competition. On the batting front, New Zealand's explosive T20I opener Martin Guptill heads the list of international players available for selection. He has been a magnificent player in the shortest format of the game and is also known for his power-hitting while batting at the top. Sri Lanka's rising all-rounder Kamindu Mendis also features in the list of players available at the auction and could prove to be a valuable option for teams scouting for a versatile player. The South African leading local players will also go under the hammer during the auction. One of the top local names is Reeza Hendricks, who Cricket South Africa have named T20 Player of the Year. Hendricks has been a consistent performer in South African domestic T20 tournaments and is likely to attract big interest from the six franchises. Also Read | Former Cricketer Slams BCCI for Special Privileges for Rohit and Kohli The upcoming auction will also host the Rookie player draft, something that has been successfully introduced in Season 2. A Rookie is a South African player aged 22 or younger who was not contracted to SA20 before. In that case, players meeting the Rookie criteria will first go in the main auction. If they are not selected on this round, they will then be available for the Rookie draft that comes after the regular auction. Five of the six Rookies signed in Season 2 are retained by their respective teams, with two additional replacement Rookies. Although players signed as Rookies in the last season are still below the age limit, they cannot be bought again as a Rookie, even if they meet the age requirement for Season 3. The team has to have a minimum of 19 players, with at least 10 being South African. The minimum number of international players that can be in the squad is seven. Other than the Rookie, the team will also have the option to choose Wildcard, and Joburg Super Kings are the only team which will still have the option to sign a Wildcard player for Season 3. The last day to send in the confirmation will be on December 30. Since there are only 13 slots remaining for the players between the six teams, people will eagerly watch this auction. League Commissioner Graeme Smith expects the auction to be quite competitive, with several big names already signed for Season 3. Smith said: "Some of the biggest names on the international T20 circuit have already signed up for Season 3, and I am looking forward to seeing how the teams finalize their squads from this competitive auction list of players." Team Slots and Purse Details Durban's Super Giants - Purse: R2.35-million - Open player Slot: 1 - Open overseas player slot: 1 - Rookie slot: 1 Joburg Super Kings - Purse: R3.925-million - Open player Slot: 3 - Open overseas player slot: 2 - Rookie slot: 1 MI Cape Town - Purse: R8.275-million - Open player Slot: 3 - Open overseas player slot: 1 - Rookie slot: 1 Paarl Royals - Purse: R11.950-million - Open player Slot: 1 - Open overseas player slot: 1 - Rookie slot: 1 Also Read | Gujarat Teen Shatters Records with Epic 498-Run Marathon in School Cricket Pretoria Capitals - Purse: R4.575-million - Open player Slot: 3 - Open overseas player slot: 3 - Rookie slot: 1 Sunrisers Eastern Cape - Purse: R2.845-million - Open player Slot: 2 - Open overseas player slot: 2 - Rookie slot: 1 The teams will choose these places with a lot of care by balancing their local players with the best overseas coming back into the auction to plump the teams for Season 3. Excitement is building up as the auction date nears. Fans are eagerly waiting to know how the final squads will shape up. The auction will take place on 1st October 2024 at 19:45 IST. Fans can follow the action live across various platforms as teams make their picks for what promises to be another thrilling season of SA20 cricket. Complete Squads for All Teams Ahead of the Season 3 Auction Durban's Super Giants: Brandon King (West Indies), Quinton De Kock, Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan), Kane Williamson (New Zealand), Chris Woakes (England), Prenelan Subrayen, Wiaan Mulder, Junior Dala, Bryce Parsons, Matthew Breetzke, Jason Smith, Marcus Stoinis (Australia), Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Noor Ahmed (Afghanistan), Heinrich Klaasen, Jon-Jon Smuts Sunrisers Eastern Cape: Aiden Markram, Zak Crawley (England), Roelof van der Merwe (Netherlands), Liam Dawson (England), Ottneil Baartman, Marco Jansen, Craig Overton (England), Tom Abell (England), Simon Harmer, Andile Simelane, David Bedingham, Beyers Swanepoel, Caleb Seleka, Tristan Stubbs, Jordan Hermann, Patrick Kruger MI Cape Town: Trent Boult (New Zealand), Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan), Rashid Khan (Afghanistan), Ben Stokes (England), Kagiso Rabada, Dewald Brevis, Delano Potgieter, Rassie van der Dussen, Thomas Kaber, Chris Benjamin (England), Corbin Bosch, Ryan Rickelton, George Linde, Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lanka), Connor Esterhuizen Joburg Super Kings: Faf Du Plessis, Moeen Ali (England), Jonny Bairstow (England), David Wiese (Namibia), Leus Du Plooy (England), Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Maheesh Theekshana (Sri Lanka), Devon Conway (New Zealand), Gerald Coetzee, Imran Tahir, Sibonelo Makhanya, Tabraiz Shamsi Pretoria Capitals: Anrich Nortje, Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand), Will Jacks (England), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Liam Livingstone (England), Senuran Muthusamy, Kyle Verreynne, Daryn Dupavillon, Steve Stolk, Tiaan van Vuuren, Will Smeed (England), Migael Pretorius, Rilee Rossouw, Eathan Bosch, Wayne Parnell Paarl Royals: David Miller, Mujeeb Ur-Rahman (Afghanistan), Sam Hain (England), Joe Root (England), Dinesh Karthik (India), Kwena Maphaka, Andile Phehlukwayo, Codi Yusuf, John Turner (England), Dayyaan Galiem, Jacob Bethell (England), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Van Buuren, Keith Dudgeon, Nqaba Peter