18-year-old Jason Rowles was signed by Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 2027 auction for a price of R2.9 million.
Teenage prodigy Jason Rowles makes headlines in the SA20 2027 auction
Just over a year back, Jason Rowles was playing in the Schools SA20 Finals, a T20 competition launched by SA20 and Cricket South Africa in 2024 to identify and nurture young talents. Representing St David's Marist, Rowles was the runners-up in Volume 1 before captaining the school in Volume 2 in 2025.
Rowles's rise since then has been rapid. He starred for South Africa in the U19 World Cup earlier this year, and recently became the most expensive player in the SA20 2027 auction after a fierce bidding war between Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town. The bidding opened with MI Cape Town raising the peddle at his base price of R200,000 before the Super Kings joined the race, eventually snatching the player for R2.9 million, almost 15 times his base price.
18 years old. R2.9 million! Welcome, Jason Rowles. #BetwaySA20Auction https://t.co/GYCVh4gOtS
— Betway SA20 (@SA20_League) October 7, 2026
The young allrounder was the top run-scorer for South Africa in the U19 World Cup with 280 runs from five innings. Rowles struck 98 off 93 against Afghanistan before smashing 125 not out off 101 deliveries versus Tanzania.
Overall, he has played 24 youth ODIs, and averages 42.75 at a strike rate of 93.54, with two centuries to his credit.
Rowles was impressive on the Under-19 tour of England in July, where he made 42, 15, and 85 in three youth ODIs while returning 3-20 in the first game with his left-arm orthodox spin. His best moment of the tour came in the second youth Test, where he registered a sublime double hundred in Hove after scoring twin fifties in the first match.
Rowles has made only one T20 appearance, scoring an unbeaten 45 off 31 from number four for SA Emerging Players against Western Province in the CSA Pro20 Cup, just two days before the auction. He has also played five List-A matches and has a top-score of 60, which came against KwaZulu-Natal Inland in the CSA Provincial One Day Challenge 2024/25 Division Two.
Also read: SA20 2027 - Full squads for each team after the auction
Most expensive buys at SA20 2027 auction
| Rank | Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Rowles | Joburg Super Kings | R2.9 million |
| 2 | Faf du Plessis | Joburg Super Kings | R2.7 million |
| 3 | Wiaan Mulder | MI Cape Town | R2.6 million |
| 4 | Kieron Pollard | Joburg Super Kings | R1.5 million |
| 4 | Shimron Hetmyer | MI Cape Town | R1.5 million |
| 4 | Trent Boult | MI Cape Town | R1.5 million |
| 4 | Craig Overton | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R1.5 million |
| 8 | Andries Gous | Joburg Super Kings | R1 million |
| 9 | Blessing Muzarabani | Joburg Super Kings | R500,000 |
| 9 | Nandre Burger | Sunrisers Eastern Cape | R500 |
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