India, April 17 -- Gujarat Titans have suffered an injury blow, hours before their crucial IPL 2026 clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Tom Banton has been ruled out of the ten-team tournament with a finger injury as South Africa's Connor Esterhuizen received his maiden IPL contract.

Who is Connor Esterhuizen?

Born on May 31 in Johannesburg, Esterhuizen, the 24-year-old, is a top-order batter. The keeper-batter made his international debut in the recent T20I series against New Zealand and made 200 runs at 50 with a couple of half-centuries. The youngster finished the series as the top run-getter as the Proteas won the rubber by 3-2. Overall, in 44 T20s, Esterhuizen has made ...