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GT vs KKR, IPL 2026: Gujarat Titans have suffered an injury blow just hours before their crucial IPL 2026 clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Tom Banton was ruled out of the ten-team tournament like South Africa due to a finger injury Connor Esterhuizen received his first IPL contract.
GT vs KKR, IPL 2026: Who is Connor Esterhuizen?
Born in Johannesburg on May 31, Esterhuizen, 24 years old, is a first-class batsman. The keeper-batsman made his international debut in the recent T20I series against New Zealand and scored 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 game 3-2. In total, Esterhuizen has scored 926 runs with five fifties in 44 T20s, but his strike rate is just 129.87.
When it comes to franchise cricket, the right-hander has played for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20 and MI Cape Town and Pretoria Capitals in SA20. In 23 SA20 games, the 24-year-old managed 385 runs while scoring a pitiful 113.90.
How did Gujarat Titans perform in IPL 2026?
As far as Titans’ performance in IPL 2026 is concerned, the 2022 champions have won two matches and lost as many. Shubman Gill and Co. started their campaign with a resounding defeat against the Punjab Kings, followed by a narrow home defeat against the Rajasthan Royals. However, the Titans bounced back with two wins and got their campaign back on track by convincingly defeating the Delhi Capitals in a humdinger and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
They will try to eliminate the Knight Riders as the three-time champion’s confidence has been severely diminished. KKR remain the only winless team in the tournament, with their only point also coming from their elimination against the Punjab Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Knight Riders will need a huge turnaround to make the playoffs as they sit at the bottom of the points table.
Also read: ‘Sanjiv Goenka is a clown, he’s a w**ker’: Lalit Modi’s explosive remark about LSG owner after Michael Vaughan’s question goes viral – watch video
