Gujarat Titans have made a change to their squad after injury to English batter Tom Banton. The player was originally signed for ₹2 crore, but he could play only one match before suffering a finger injury during training. This forced him to be ruled out of the tournament.
To replace him, the team has brought in South African wicketkeeper-batter Connor Esterhuizen. The IPL confirmed that Esterhuizen will take Banton’s place for the rest of the season. He has been signed for ₹75 lakh.
This will be Esterhuizen’s first appearance in the Indian Premier League. He is a 24-year-old player who recently made his international debut for South Africa national cricket team in a series against New Zealand national cricket team in March.
In that series, Esterhuizen performed very well. He won two Player of the Match awards and was also named Player of the Series. His performance helped South Africa win the five-match T20 series 3-2 after being behind 1-2 at one stage.
The Gujarat Titans are hoping that his arrival will strengthen their middle-order batting, which has struggled in recent matches. With his recent form and confidence, Esterhuizen will look to make a strong impact in IPL 2026 and help his team in the remaining matches.