Gujarat Titans have signed South African sensation Connor Esterhuizen as a replacement for England batsman Tom Banton. Esterhuizen joins at its base price of Rs. 75 lakh after making an impressive start to life in international cricket.
Banton to miss IPL 2026 campaign due to finger injury. The wicket-keeper batsman played a key role for England during the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 campaign, scoring 155 runs in eight matches.
“Gujarat Titans (GT) have signed Connor Esterhuizen as a replacement for Tom Banton, who has been ruled out of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 due to a finger injury,” an IPL statement said.
This will be the first stint in the IPL for the 24-year-old. It will join the GT at its base price of INR 75 million.
The 24-year-old Esterhuizen has quickly established a strong reputation in South African cricket. He displayed his talent impressively during last month’s five-match T20I series in New Zealand, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 200 runs at 145.98.
In his first appearance at international level, he won Player of the Series and played a key role in South Africa’s 3-2 triumph. He also hit 13 sixes in the entire series.
He has already played in the SA20 for MI Cape Town and was part of the Pretoria Capitals team that reached the final of the competition.
Esterhuizen has scored just 166 runs from 12 matches at a batting minimum of just over 105. The South African is expected to operate as a back-up wicket behind Jos Buttler for GT this season.
Gujarat endured a terrible start to the IPL 2026 campaign but have since bounced back with wins over DC and LSG. They will be hoping to make it three for three when they take over Kolkata Knight Riders winless on Friday 17 April at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
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Published on:
17 Apr 2026 17:57 IST
