IPL 2026: GT sign Connor Esterhuizen to replace injured Tom Banton
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IPL 2026: GT sign Connor Esterhuizen to replace injured Tom Banton")
Connor Esterhuizen Photograph: (SA20)
After recovering with two straight wins following two early losses, GT will look to make it three in five against a winless KKR in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans have signed South African wicketkeeper-batter Connor Esterhuizen as a replacement for England’s Tom Banton, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026 with a finger injury. The 24-year-old recently made his international debut for the Proteas in a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, where he impressed with two Player of the Match awards and the Player of the Series, helping South Africa recover from 2-1 down to win 3-2. This will be Esterhuizen’s first IPL stint, as he joins the Titans at his base price of INR 75 lakh, adding both batting depth and wicketkeeping cover.
Meanwhile, Banton, had been picked up for INR 2 crore at the auction but did not feature in any matches this season. His previous IPL experience came with Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played two games during the 2020 edition held in the United Arab Emirates amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Banton played a crucial role for England in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, making 155 runs, including a crucial unbeaten knock of 63 runs off 41 balls against Scotland, where he helped his side secure a five-wicket win. He was named Player of the Match for that performance.
GT, who have won two of their past matches after starting the tournament with two losses, will be aiming to make it three wins in five games against a winless KKR at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. The Shubman Gill-led side currently stands in sixth place in the points table.
Gujarat Titans Squad: Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Ashok Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Jason Holder, Kulwant Khejroliya, Anuj Rawat, Nishant Sindhu, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Connor Esterhuizen, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Luke Wood, Jayant Yadav and Ishant Sharma.
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With inputs from agencies
