South African skipper Aiden Markram spoke about the significance of playing this series vs India on the eve of the IPL 2025 auction.

Gavaskar Trophy, a young Indian side will be engaged in a four-match T20I series against South Africa in the Rainbow Nation from Friday, November 8. The iconic Kingsmead in Durban will host the series opener as the two teams meet for the first time since the T20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados.

A four-match Twenty20 series against India comes at an opportune time for South Africa’s cricketers as it provides an additional stage to highlight their skills before the Indian Premier League auction later this month,

At first glance, the four-match T20I series between India and South Africa, kicking off in Durban on Friday, seems like another bilateral series for both teams to test players in preparation for the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup.

To cater to the Indian audience, South Africa have kept the match timings slightly preferable to the Indian Standard Time (IST). Hence, the first, third and fourth T20Is will start at 8:30 pm IST. The second T20I is much better as it will start at 7:30 pm IST.

A clutch of second-line stars such as Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will be hoping for a breakaway series in the four T20Is against South Africa, starting with the first contest here Friday.

Players from both sides will have an added incentive to be at their best during the four-match contest as it comes right ahead of the IPL mega auction

South Africa's captain Aiden Markram emphasised that the upcoming T20I series against India won't be viewed as a rematch of the 2024 T20 World Cup final, with no revenge plans in mind as both teams prepare for the November 8 opener.