Jon-Jon Smuts and Simon Harmer are the first players to be traded ahead of season 2 of the Betway SA20 League, as teams look to finalise their squads ahead of the 31 July trading deadline.  

Smuts has moved from inaugural champions, Sunrisers Eastern Cape, to Durban’s Super Giants, with Harmer swapping Kingsmead for St George’s Park. 

All South African players were signed on multi-year contracts at the inaugural auction last year, but the trading window allows teams to trade or retain players ahead of the 31 July deadline. 

Franchises can also buy out players – South African or Overseas – still under contract to open up a slot in their squad. The player would then go back into the auction. 

Teams have been strategically working behind the scenes in order to finalise their purse, which has been increased to R39.1 million per team for Season 2, ahead of the second auction scheduled for late September.  

Smuts’ initial auction fee of R2.3 million will now be taken over by Durban’s Super Giants, while Sunrisers Eastern Cape will be responsible for Harmer’s R200 000.  

The Sunrisers have effectively freed up R2.1 million of their purse.  

The big-hitting Smuts was the Sunrisers’ third-highest run-scorer in Season 1 with 202 runs at an average of 28.85, which included two half-centuries.  

Off-spinner Harmer bowled only six overs for DSG due to Lance Klusener’s team boasting plenty of spin options in the form of new captain Keshav Maharaj, the pre-signed Prenelan Subrayen and Sri Lankan international Akila Dananjaya. 

The Sunrisers have looked to bolster their spin department for Season 2 with England left-arm spinner Liam Dawson already pre-signed along with Harmer.  

Dawson was one of four Sunrisers’ pre-signings that also included Aiden Markram, seam bowler Ottniel Baartman and former ICC World No 1 T20 batter Dawid Malan.