Bavuma, Phehlukwayo notable SA20 auction snubs: 'It's brutal out there'

One of the surprise snubs from Monday's SA20 auction belonged to Proteas T20 captain Temba Bavuma.

Bavuma came in with a base price of R850 000 but none of the six SA20 teams seemed interested in the Proteas batter.

The Proteas' white-ball captain has not played competitive cricket since June and has been recovering from an elbow injury, which saw him ruled out of the Proteas' tour to England.

However, he is confirmed to lead the Proteas at next month's ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

Bavuma, who has played 25 T20Is for the Proteas, went unsold despite being brought under the hammer twice. But there was little interest in the Proteas captain as teams splurged their cash on some big and little-known South African stars.

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Bavuma and the Proteas will assemble for a national camp in preparation for the T20 World Cup this week.

Another player who missed out was Proteas all-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo, who also went unsold with a base price of R850 000.

When asked about Bavuma's omission, Durban Super Giants coach Lance Klusener and MI Cape Town coach Simon Katich admitted the competitive nature of the auction always meant some players would miss out.

"The way the auction dynamic plays out, it can go in different directions. We've had plans to get certain players and that changed if someone comes cheaper than you expect," Katich told reporters on Monday.

"There are plenty of players who missed out today, it goes to show how competitive it is. Some of the South African boys are competing with franchises that felt like they should go with an overseas player... I'm sure there is an opportunity down the line."

Former Proteas all-rounder Klusener