The next edition of the popular SA20 cricket competition is still a few months away, but the six teams are already focused on the fifth instalment, which gets under way on Sunday, 17 January 2027.

Two of the six squads, namely Durban’s Super Giants and the Paarl Royals, have locked in all 19 players in their squads for the new season, while the other four teams, the Joburg Super Kings, MI Cape Town, Pretoria Capitals and Sunrisers Eastern Cape still have spots to fill.

There will once again be a number of big international stars in action.

Australia’s Mitchell Marsh will be a newcomer to the competition in the coming season, while Englishmen Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt will all return for more action in early 2027.

The six squads on Wednesday announced their retained and pre-signed players.

The remainder of the squads will be finalised at the Player Auction on 7 October, which will only feature 19 available slots, with most of the teams retaining the core of their squads and South Africa’s top talent.

Australia T20 captain and T20 World Cup winner Marsh will turn out for the triple champions, the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where he should form an opening partnership with 2026 Player of the Season, Quinton de Kock.

The Sunrisers open the tournament with a match against Pretoria Capitals at St George’s Park on 17 January 2027.

Tristan Stubbs is expected to again captain the Sunrisers who have just two spots open in their squad of 19.

The Capitals meanwhile, for whom another Aussie, Matthew Short, will turn out, have five slots available.

Salt will feature for them, alongside the likes of Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Dewald Brevis and Lungi Ngidi.

Root will be back with the Royals, with other players out to make a big impression in season five being Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Nqobani Mokoena, David Miller and Ottneil Baartman.

MI Cape Town, the only other team besides the Sunrisers to have won the competition, have six openings in their squad. Rashid Khan and Nicholas Pooran will be back next season as will Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch, Reeza Hendricks and George Linde. Rassie van der Dussen has been released.

The Joburg Super Kings, who will have a new coach in Albie Morkel following the departure of Stephen Fleming to the England job, have seven places to fill at the auction.

Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira, Rilee Rossouw and Prenelan Subrayen will again feature, but Faf du Plessis has not been retained.

The Super Giants’ squad is complete and will be led by Aiden Markram, who’ll be supported by the likes of Jos Buttler, Heinrich Klaasen, Kane Williamson, Gerald Coetzee, Kwena Maphaka and Curran.

To see what the squads currently look like, click here.