Gujarat Titans (GT) have moved to strengthen their squad by bringing in South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Connor Esterhuizen as cover for Tom Banton, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026 due to a finger injury.
Banton had been bought by GT at his auction base price of INR 2 crore, but he did not feature in a single match during the season.
Esterhuizen arrives for INR 75 lakh. Earlier this year, he made his T20I debut during South Africa’s tour of New Zealand for a five-match series. In that breakout outing, he struck 200 runs at an average of 50, maintaining a strike rate of 145.98, and produced two half-centuries. He also earned two Player-of-the-Match honours and was subsequently named Player of the Series.
Within the franchise circuit, Esterhuizen has turned out for Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town in the SA20. He has also played four matches for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20.
Banton, meanwhile, had returned to the IPL after a four-year gap. Before this latest stint, he had appeared in two matches for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) back in 2021.
GT’s season has started with two victories from four outings, leaving them in sixth place. They are level on four points with four other teams on the points table.
