The Gujarat Titans (GT) camp has been hit by a shocking setback amid the ongoing Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026). Just as Shubman Gill’s team was trying to gain momentum, an injury to Jos Buttler’s English teammate has shaken GT’s plans completely.
The Gujarat Titans (GT) are currently preparing to take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2026 clash on April 17 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ahead of this home match, GT lost their England star to injury, the IPL confirmed on Friday.
Tom Banton ruled out of IPL 2026 ahead of big GT vs KKR game
In fact, Tom Banton has been ruled out for the rest of the ongoing IPL 2026 after suffering a finger injury. Well, GT acted quickly to fill that void as the tournament approaches the crucial phase.
The franchise has signed young South Africa batsman-wicketkeeper Connor Esterhuizen as Banton’s replacement for the rest of the season.
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The 24-year-old joined Gujarat Titans (GT) at his base price of INR 75 lakh. Esterhuizen is set to make his IPL debut for GT, having made his international debut against New Zealand.
Although Tom Banton came into the IPL 2026 season after a great performance in the T20 World Cup 2026, he did not get the opportunity to play a single match for the Gujarat Titans.
GT had spent 2 million rupees to bring Tom Banton to the auction, but before the Englishman could make his debut, he suffered a finger injury.
IPL confirms Connor Esterhuizen as replacement for Tom Banton
The IPL stated in an official press release: “The 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. Esterhuizen, a wicketkeeper-batsman, recently made his international debut for South Africa against New Zealand in a five-match T20I series last month.
He got off to an impressive start, winning two Man of the Match awards and was also named Player of the Series, helping his team win the series 3-2 after trailing 2-1. This will be the 24-year-old’s first season in the IPL. It will join GT at its base price of INR 75 Lakh.”
Who is Connor Esterhuizen?
Connor Esterhuizen is one of the exciting new faces in South African cricket. He is a right-handed batsman who bats at the top and also keeps wicket. He made his T20I debut for South Africa against New Zealand in March 2026 and had a memorable series.
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Esterhuizen played fearless cricket and scored a total of 200 runs in the five-match T20I series with a strong average of 50 and a strike rate close to 146. His best knock was 75 off just 33 balls which helped South Africa win the match and seal the T20I series 3-2 in Christchurch.
For his memorable debut, Esterhuizen was even nominated for ICC Player of the Month for March. Well, he plays domestic cricket for the Lions. He also has good experience in franchise leagues. He has already represented MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals in SA20. He was also part of the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International T20 League (ILT20).
Talking about his domestic numbers, he has 1295 runs in just 21 First Class matches and 381 runs in 13 List A games to his name. Esterhuizen also has impressive T20 numbers, scoring 926 runs in 40 matches with an impressive strike rate of around 130 and an average of almost 29.