Temba Bavuma also found a home for season five of the competition.
Jason Rowles, in action here for the SA U19 team earlier this year. Picture: Floris van Schouwenburg-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
Teen schoolboy Jason Rowles was the biggest winner at the season five player auction of the SA20 competition on Wednesday when he was snapped up by the Joburg Super Kings for a staggering R2.9 million.
The 18-year-old from St David’s Inanda has been a star at junior level for a number of years.
The other big buy was for veteran Faf du Plessis, who is all of 42, who returns to JSK, who he captained in the first four installments of the SA20. As a free agent this coming season, he was bought for R2.7 million.
“This year’s auction showed exactly what SA20 has become,” League Commissioner Graeme Smith said.
“It’s become a home where world-class players like Faf du Plessis, Shimron Hetmyer and Trent Boult sit alongside South Africa’s brightest young talent.
“Jason Rowles was the highlight of the day for me. Seeing an 18-year-old spark the biggest bidding battle of the day tells you how much the franchises believe in the next generation.
“It was only last year that he was participating in the final of the Schools SA20 and today he will get to be a part of a squad consisting of some of the world’s best T20 stars. That’s the pathway we set out to build, and it’s hugely encouraging to see it working.”
Also joining JSK will be West Indies star Kieron Pollard, who was bought for R1.5 million.
MI Cape Town secured the services of Proteas all-rounder Wiaan Mulder, for R2,6 million, while West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer was sold to the same team for R1.5 million.
The Pretoria Capitals also needed to complete their squad at the auction and bought veteran batter Rassie van der Dussen for R500,00 while Temba Bavuma was also snapped up, for R200,000.
For the full squads please click here.
