Follow UsThe final shortlist of the SA20 2025 Auction, scheduled for September 9, is out, and 43-year-old England pacer James Anderson’s name on it is the biggest highlight. Along with him, Shakib Al Hasan, who has been in tremendous form in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025, has also made the cut.
The Bangladesh all-rounder, who has retired from Tests and T20Is, has yet to announce his ODI retirement. But he has not been able to play for Bangladesh as the player has been unofficially exiled from the country ever since the bloody Student Revolution led to then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fleeing from the country and her party being thrown out of power.
Shakib was a Member of Parliament from Hasina’s party and has been living in the United States of America since May 2024.
Meanwhile, Anderson has been playing white-ball cricket actively since his international retirement in 2024, featuring for Manchester Originals in the recently concluded The Hundred. He also played the majority of Lancashire T20 Blast matches.
A total of 541 players have been shortlisted, amongst which there are two Australian players, D’Arcy Short and Peter Hartzoglou, even as the Big Bash League (BBL) 2025-26 is set to clash with the SA20 2025-26 edition.
Aiden Markram is the highlight of 300 South African players shortlisted for the auction.
A total of 25 overseas and 59 domestic slots are available for the taking, making it a difficult choice for both the domestic and overseas players. While the 241 overseas players have a 1/10 chance of being picked, it is slightly easier for domestic players, with them being picked having a probability of 1/6.