Gujarat Titans (GT) have enlisted South African player Connor Esterhuizen to replace injured English batsman Tom Banton in the ongoing 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). Esterhuizen will join the team at his base price of INR 75 lakh, marking his debut in the tournament. He recently debuted for South Africa against New Zealand, impressively winning two Player of the Match Awards and being named Player of the Series.
Esterhuizen’s performance in the T20I series against New Zealand was notable, with him finishing with 200 runs in five games at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 145.98. He climbed to 39th in the Men’s T20I rankings, making him the fourth-best South African after just five matches. Esterhuizen was also nominated for the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award alongside Indian players Sanju Samson and Jasprit Bumrah.
The addition of Esterhuizen is expected to enhance GT’s overseas batting choices and provide a reliable wicketkeeping option alongside Jos Buttler. Despite a modest performance in the recent SA20, where he scored 166 runs at an average of 15.09 and a strike rate of 105.73, Esterhuizen gained valuable experience playing for Pretoria Capitals. He played under the leadership of Proteas’ Keshav Maharaj and former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly during the competition.
GT, the IPL 2022 champions captained by Shubman Gill, will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
