On August 5, all SA20 teams announced their list of retained and released players ahead of the mini-auction. The SA20 2024-25 winners MI Cape Town have released left-arm pacer Trent Boult, batter Rassie van der Dussen and legendary T20 all-rounder Kieron Pollard. Meanwhile, Sam Curran has left MI Cape Town to join Durban Super Giants where he will play alongside former England captain Jos Buttler.
Boult’s diminishing returns lead to exit
37-year-old Boult had managed to take eight wickets from 10 games in the previous edition of SA20 at 43 apiece. His economy rate rose from 6.94 to 9.82. His performances have gone down across T20 franchise cricket. For MI New York, he took eight wickets from 10 games in Major League Cricket (MLC). The left-arm pacer is currently playing for MI London in the Men's Hundred 2026 where he has taken six wickets from five games, doing relatively well. But, it is not certain whether MI London will retain him for the next season.
Boult played five games for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and bagged just two wickets. He was roped in for Rs 12.50 crore. Ahead of the mini-auction, it is unlikely that Boult gets retained on the basis of performances across T20 franchise cricket.
Pollard does well in MLC 2026 but gets released
Pollard played just two games in the previous SA20 season, scoring 20 runs and remaining wicketless. However, the 39-year-old did fairly well for MI New York in the MLC 2026. Similarly to SA20, Pollard was released by MI in the IPL as well. He was later roped in as their batting coach in 2023. Considering MI’s struggles with the bat of late, it is not clear whether he will retain his position or not.
Jacks of 3 MI franchises
England all-rounder Will Jacks is now part of three MI franchises. Apart from MI in the IPL, he is currently playing for MI London and will represent MI Cape Town in the upcoming edition. The 27-year-old had represented Pretoria Capitals in the last three seasons.
MI Cape Town pre-auction squad
Will Jacks, Rashid Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Corbin Bosch, Reeza Hendricks, Thomas Kaber, George Linde, Dane Piedt, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tiaan van Vuuren, Tristan Luus, Kagiso Rabada.
MI Cape Town have eight spots available in their squad ahead of the mini-auction.