Jos Buttler has served up plenty of brilliance over his career.
That power, that hand-eye coordination, those elastic wrists helping him to in excess of 11,000 international runs and the title of England’s greatest-ever limited-overs batter.
Eleven ODI hundreds, two in Test matches – a format he never quite managed to crack – and one in T20 internationals are added to seven tons in the glitzy Indian Premier League.
Only Virat Kohli, with eight, has more IPL centuries than Buttler and the India great has played over 100 more innings in that competition than the now former England white-ball captain.
But what Buttler has been serving up of late has been rather measly – something he will look to remedy when he features for Gujarat Titans in this year’s IPL, starting against Punjab Kings on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 2pm.
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Buttler scored four centuries in the 2022 IPL season, the joint-most by a player in a single campaign, along with Virat Kohli
Will Buttler fire in IPL after England struggles?
He has only passed fifty twice in his last 21 ODIs stretching back to September 2023 and failed to breach 40 in the dismal Champions Trophy campaign in February, in which he resigned as skipper ahead of the final game against South Africa.
Buttler’s IPL returns have also dried up a bit since his golden 2022 season for Rajasthan Royals – which came before he succeeded Eoin Morgan as England captain – when he amassed 863 runs across 17 innings, with four tons and as many half-centuries.
In 2023, he made 392 runs with four fifties. In 2024 he scored two scorching tons but only passed 30 twice in nine other knocks.
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Watch how Buttler smashed a six to win the match and seal his century as Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2024 IPL
That dwindling form was perhaps why Rajasthan released him after a seven-year spell but his reputation meant he was snapped up by Gujarat for £1.4m in last November’s mega auction.
Titans will have their fingers crossed they have purchased future runs as well, not just past glories. There is no guarantee of that.
Buttler turns 35 in September and battled a calf problem of late, so perhaps age and injury are creeping up with a player who has been a thoroughbred for the best part of 15 years.
It happens to them all eventually.
Buttler has struggled for form with England of late
Buttler poised to open and keep for Gujarat
But the hope will be that Buttler’s decision to step away from the England captaincy can give the latter stages of his career a boost. That he can now focus on doing what he does best – scoring runs in devastating style, for clubs and country.
That may include batting up the order for England in one-day international cricket, just like he does in the T20 format, with pundits including Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain feeling he was too low at No 6 during the Champions Trophy as the team lost every game.
Buttler was in charge of England at the ICC Champions Trophy as his team lost every game
Buttler looks poised to open for Gujarat in the IPL – and keep wicket – forming a potentially formidable duo with India’s Shubman Gill.
Titans are aiming to rebound from last season’s eighth-placed finish after winning in their debut campaign in 2022 – beating Buttler’s Rajasthan in the final – and then finishing runners-up in 2023.
They have a pretty tasty bowling attack, too, with India quick Mohammed Shami, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and South Africa seamer Kagiso Rabada as options.
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Glenn Phillips stunned the ICC Champions Trophy with three outstanding catches, but which one was the best?
There is also the Swiss Army knife of a cricketer in Glenn Phillips – batter, bowler and extraordinary fielder, whether sprinting to stop balls reaching the boundary or producing jaw-dropping catches.
But for England fans, eyes will be on Buttler. It’s about time the country’s greatest-ever white-ball batter started playing like it again.
Watch all 74 matches from the 2025 IPL live on Sky Sports Cricket, up to and including the final in Kolkata on Sunday May 25.
