Jos Buttler, the Rajasthan Royals opener, couldn’t carry his scintillating form from his previous heroics. He struggled, departing for a mere 8 runs from 10 deliveries. The Gujarat Titans bowling attack restricted Buttler’s impact in the Jaipur clash on April 10th.
Making matters worse, Buttler fell victim to his nemesis Rashid Khan for the fourth time in the IPL. Astonishingly, Buttler has scored a meager 30 runs off 50 balls against the Afghan spinner, without hitting a single boundary, and has been dismissed four times by him in the cash-rich league. This was also the fifth instance of Rashid dismissing Buttler in overall T20 cricket.
On this instance, Rashid’s leg-spinner enticed Jos Buttler into a drive, which he nicked to Rahul Tewatia at first slip.
Here is a video of Buttler’s wicket:
Buttler had a sluggish beginning to the IPL 2024 season. However, he smashed an authoritative 58-ball century, powering RR’s latest victory against RCB. The England white-ball captain hasn’t fared well otherwise, scoring a mere 43 runs in the other four innings at an average below 11. In 2022, Buttler enjoyed his best IPL season, amassing 863 runs and clinching the Orange Cap as RR reached the final.
However, the destructive hitter did not have continuous success in last year’s IPL, with an average of 28 and four half-centuries in 14 games.
“Have a very good relationship with Sanju” – Jos Buttler
Before the GT game, Jos Buttler warmly praised his bond with captain Sanju Samson. Ahead of Samson’s 50th match leading RR, the partnership between the two shone. They’ve played together at RR since IPL 2018.
Rajasthan Royals missed 2023’s playoffs after a strong start – disappointing. But this year, they’ve rebounded impressively, winning all four matches so far.
Before the game, Buttler spoke with local broadcasters on the team’s overall happiness and his relationship with Samson.
“Have a very good relationship with Sanju (Samson) I played with him for a long time here and there’s a nice level of trust there and trying to help out if I can and where I can. The feeling is great in the group, lots of different individuals standing up and playing well for the team throughout the four games has been the key for our success.”
Jos Buttler
Before Buttler’s departure, RR lost his opening partner, Yashasvi Jaiswal, for a fast 19-ball 24. However, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag have launched a comeback with a half-century partnership, leaving RR on 100/2 in 13 overs.