He plays for Delhi Capitals franchise in SA20.
When Delhi Capitals (DC) need a replacement for Ben Duckett, South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batter Connor Esterhuizen has been making a strong case with consistent international performances. While his chances are low, DC won’t mind having him around the setup since management has worked with him at Pretoria Capitals, Delhi Capitals’ sister franchise, in SA20 2026.
Esterhuizen hit consecutive fifties against New Zealand in the final two matches of the five-match series to stamp his authority as a quality batter. In the fourth game, he accumulated 57 runs in 36 deliveries, including seven boundaries and three maximums, at a strike rate of 158.33.
Later, in the series decider, the 24-year-old weaved his career-best international knock while batting at No.4. He scored 75 runs in 33 deliveries, with five boundaries and six maximums, at a strike rate of 227.27.
74.66% of his runs came via fours and sixes, and he scored 40.10% of the team’s runs alone during this innings. Connor Esterhuizen ended the rubber as the leading run-scorer, with 200 runs at an average of 50 and a strike rate of 145.98 in five outings, comprising two fifties.
Connor Esterhuizen has made rapid progress as a batter this year and has established himself as a solid option who can bat at the top or in the middle. He didn’t have a great SA20 2026, but his skills have come to the fore on his maiden international series.
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In the current setup, Delhi Capitals might open with KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka, with one of Nitish Rana or Abishek Porel batting at No.3. Hence, DC would want a batter who can be more flexible and take the middle-order slot should the situation arise, because they already have multiple top-order batters who might be forced to bat out of position.
They have Prithvi Shaw, Karun Nair, and, to an extent, Sameer Rizvi, who need to bat in the top three to give maximum output. Hence, Esterhuizen can be a useful addition because he has played everywhere from opening to lower middle-order and handles spin well, allowing him to adjust to various spots.
Then, the South African player is also a wicketkeeper and can take the gloves if KL Rahul wants to ease his workload. These fifties might have come at the right time for him, and given his association with the franchise, Delhi Capitals might look at him as a potential Ben Duckett replacement since his availability won’t be an issue in IPL 2026.
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