Gujarat Titans sign Esterhuizen as replacement for injured Banton

Esterhuizen made his T20I debut against New Zealand in March and was named the Player of the Series

Gujarat Titans (GT) have signed South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Connor Esterhuizen as a replacement for Tom Banton, who has been ruled out of IPL 2026 with a finger injury.

Banton, who GT signed for his base price of INR 2 crore in the auction, didn't play a game this season.

Esterhuizen has been signed for INR 75 lakh. He made his T20I debut earlier this year, when South Africa toured New Zealand for a five-match series. He had a breakout debut series, scoring 200 runs at an average of 50 and strike rate of 145.98, with two half-centuries. He won two Player-of-the-Match awards and was also named Player of the Series.RelatedThe making of Esterhuizen's dream debut series

He has played for Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town in the SA20, and has also made four appearances for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20.

Banton, meanwhile, had made a return to the IPL after four years, having previously made two appearances for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2021.

With two wins from four games, GT are sixth on the points table, locked with four other teams on four points each.