Who is Connor Esterhuizen? The Gujarat Titans have added Connor Esterhuizen to their squad. Find out who this player is and who he has replaced in the Gujarat team.

Who is Connor Esterhuizen?

The trend of foreign players being excluded from IPL 2026 continues. The latest blow has been dealt to the Gujarat Titans, whose wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Banton has been ruled out of the IPL 2026 tournament due to a finger injury. The Gujarat team has announced South African Connor Esterhuizen as his replacement. Connor made his international debut for South Africa earlier this year.

Who is Connor Esterhuizen?

Connor Esterhuizen has been signed by the Gujarat Titans for ₹7.5 million. He has played for the Pretoria Capitals and MI Cape Town in the SA20 League and for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20. He has earned a significant reputation in franchise cricket over the past two to three years.

The 24-year-old top-order batsman made his T20 International debut against New Zealand in March this year. He played five matches in the entire series, scoring 200 runs at a decent T20 average of 50.

His bat roared in the final two T20Is against New Zealand. In the fourth T20I, he scored his first international half-century, smashing 57 runs off 36 balls. In the very next match, he smashed a blistering 75 runs off 33 balls. Currently, his T20I strike rate is around 146. He was also named Player of the Series for his strong performance. It was his performance that helped South Africa win the T20I series 3-2 after trailing 1-2.

Career of Connor Esterhuizen

Connor Esterhuizen's overall T20 statistics aren't impressive, but he's had a strong start to his international career. In his 44 T20 matches, he has scored 926 runs and averages 29. Connor, who has scored five half-centuries in T20Is so far, has a strike rate of 129.87.