The SA20 League has allowed each franchise to retain 6 players per side as per the new revised retention policies. Notably, on Tuesday (June 24), it was confirmed that the player auction will be hosted for its fourth season in Johannesburg on September 9, with Richard Madley coming back as the auctioneer. And the tournament will begin on Boxing Day, December 26, maintaining its traditional festive season start. Among the six players allowed to be retained, no more than three can be overseas signings. The announcement comes with a major update to the financial structure of teams, as the salary purse has been increased to USD 2.3 million per franchise. In total, 72 player slots will be open across the teams, allowing room for strategic overhauls. Teams will build an 18-player squad, including a maximum of seven overseas players, while at least 11 slots must be filled by South African players. One wild card player may also be signed per team, whose salary will not count towards the salary cap, regardless of nationality. Read also: India's Batting Slammed by DK as Doberman Without a Tail RTM Card Introduced; Under-23 Signings Now Mandatory A key introduction to this year's auction format is the Right to Match (RTM) card, which will make its SA20 debut. This tool allows a team to match the final bid for a player it previously fielded, provided the team has not already exhausted its RTM privileges. The number of RTM cards available will depend on the count of South African retentions made by each franchise. Another shift from previous years is the removal of the Rookie Draft. Instead, each team must now sign a minimum of two Under-23 players within their full 19-player roster. Commenting on the evolving auction dynamics, Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20, said: "The SA20 Season 4 Player Auction is setting up to be the most exciting yet, with about 60% of player slots available for the franchises to fill," said Stephen Cook, Head of Cricket Operations at SA20. 'Mechanisms such as RTM cards, Wildcard players and an increased salary cap are sure to create interesting situations for teams and will allow them to strategically select their squads. We have seen some life-changing transactions already in the past few years and the upcoming auction should see plenty more."