Ka-ching! Career-changing payday for local players after SA20: 'Bonus bigger than salaries'

"That's a very good question," Wayne Parnell chuckled after he was asked what Pretoria Capitals are going to do with their runners-up cheque of R17.5 million. But between the laughs he still made the pertinent point that the SA20's purse is career-changing for some players.

The inaugural edition of the tournament will reward franchises with a total of R70 million in prize money - winners Sunrisers Eastern Cape bagged a R35 million share - in what is comfortably the most lucrative payday in domestic cricket's history.

While it's true that some players like Tristan Stubbs (R9.2 million), Rilee Rossouw (R6.9 million), Marco Jansen (R6.1 million), Parnell (R5.6 million) and Donovan Ferreira (R5.5 million) received mega bids at last year's auction, various emerging local players were only bought at the lowest base price of R175 000.

A share of bonus cheques is eminently useful and, more importantly, should inspire others in the provincial system to up their game for a slice of the pie in future.

READ | What is SA20's true benefit to SA cricket? Wily, evergreen Roelof might have the answer

"I think it's a great development for some players," said Parnell.

"One has to remember that some of the guys were only bought at their base price. The bonus might end up being more than their salary. Financially it's obviously great for players. To be honest, it's not an issue we've been talking about, like telling each other: 'Hey, if we win here, our share is half if we win, if we lose it's a quarter.'

"Hopefully one of the [younger guys] takes me out for a coffee!"

Meanwhile, the wily and experienced Proteas all-rounder hopes the tournament goes from strength to strength in the coming years, but also cautions that league commissioner Graeme