Gujarat Titans sign Esterhuizen as replacement for injured Banton

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.
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.
Gujarat Titans (GT) saw enough of Glenn Phillips, and despite his obvious ability, decided IPL 2026 wasn't going to be his season. Enter Jason Holder. And he has already made a difference. In the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, Holder was the Player of the Match as GT won by a canter, returning 2 for 29, taking three catches including a contentious one, and then scoring a crucial 12 when GT needed just that from him.

"I was a little bit worried that he was on the bench all that time [GT's first six matches] and then he was going to come in and they're going to ask as much of him to be that much better than the player that he replaced," Ian Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show. "I suppose it wasn't hard. He can bowl in the powerplay for you if you want him to; he can bowl at the death; he'll bowl his pace-off [deliveries] in the middle.


"He relishes the opportunity to bat higher for teams in T20 cricket. He doesn't always get [the chance], but he wants to - he thinks he's a batsman sometimes who bowls rather than a bowler who bats. And with so many catches being dropped… when you see him catching like that, you can put him in any position on the field and he'll catch for you. Give him the [wicketkeeping] gloves, he'll do that. So that makes you a real asset to take those catches when so many catches have gone down recently."
Gujarat Titans (GT) saw enough of Glenn Phillips, and despite his obvious ability, decided IPL 2026 wasn't going to be his season. Enter Jason Holder. And he has already made a difference. In the game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday, Holder was the Player of the Match as GT won by a canter, returning 2 for 29, taking three catches including a contentious one, and then scoring a crucial 12 when GT needed just that from him.

"I was a little bit worried that he was on the bench all that time [GT's first six matches] and then he was going to come in and they're going to ask as much of him to be that much better than the player that he replaced," Ian Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show. "I suppose it wasn't hard. He can bowl in the powerplay for you if you want him to; he can bowl at the death; he'll bowl his pace-off [deliveries] in the middle.


"He relishes the opportunity to bat higher for teams in T20 cricket. He doesn't always get [the chance], but he wants to - he thinks he's a batsman sometimes who bowls rather than a bowler who bats. And with so many catches being dropped… when you see him catching like that, you can put him in any position on the field and he'll catch for you. Give him the [wicketkeeping] gloves, he'll do that. So that makes you a real asset to take those catches when so many catches have gone down recently."
"A skilled cricketer that has experience, wants to be a part of the team, is a thorough gentleman. He's very articulate when he speaks. I suppose, between you and I, we've got a bit of fandom for Jason"
Vikram Solanki
Since 2025, the period Solanki referred to, Holder has scored 742 runs in 41 T20 innings when batting between Nos. 5 and 7, going at a strike rate of 162.36 and averaging 28.53. Those long levers have also brought him 60 sixes in this period. That is apart from what he does in the bowling innings. With Phillips having disappointed with 67 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 124.07, Holder was a somewhat automatic fill-in.

"He's a world-class allrounder, isn't he," Solanki said. "He's sort of proven across the years in international cricket and franchise cricket how measured he is and I think he's only getting better. He spoke about understanding his game and that of course comes with experience. Any player that has played for as long as he has, around the world as he has, led teams as he has - international teams and been part of different teams - starts to get an understanding of what should be done in any given situation and Jason is certainly doing that.

"He's had to wait his time before he's got an opportunity, but since he's got an opportunity in all of the games he's played, he's made good contributions. And today in the field, he was brilliant. He's also quite smart in playing exactly the way he needs to given any sort of situation and that partnership with Rahul Tewatia [30 runs for the sixth wicket against RCB] is exactly an example of that."

All the things Holder can do when at his best makes him "the perfect storm", Solanki said. "A skilled cricketer that has experience, wants to be a part of the team, is a thorough gentleman. He's very articulate when he speaks. I suppose, between you and I, we've got a bit of fandom for Jason."