For seven years Jos Buttler was the backbone of the Rajasthan Royals batting unit. How they fill that vacuum could decide their IPL 2025 fortunes.
The England white-ball captain smashed two fifties in the first two games of the ongoing T20I series against India and reminded Rajasthan Royals what they have lost by not retaining him. Was it a blunder from the Royals to let go of one of the best batters in the game or was it a calculative risk?
The champions of the inaugural Indian Premier League edition are still searching for their second trophy. They had a few tough decisions to make ahead of the IPL 2025 auction in regards to the retentions.
The Royals opted to go with Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma. They paid INR 18 crore each to Samson and Jaiswal while signing Parag and Jurel for INR 14 crore each. From their perspective, it was about securing the future. But at what cost?
Before we move to the potential replacements, let’s take a look at Jos Buttler’s career at Rajasthan Royals. In seven years, the Englishman amassed 3055 runs at an average of 41.84 while striking at 147.79.
In this period, only two batters with over 1000 runs in the IPL had a combination of 40 average and 140 strike rate. One is Buttler and the other AB de Villiers. Buttler also had one of the greatest individual IPL seasons when he piled on 863 runs in 2023 at 57.53 average and 149 strike rate.
It wasn’t just about his own numbers. With Jaiswal having weaknesses against short-pitched bowling, having someone like Buttler, one of the best players of hitting pace, at the other end helped the youngster. Samson’s game against high pace was recently exposed by England and with Buttler not there, IPL 2025 could be a long season for Rajasthan Royals.
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Perhaps a bigger blunder by Rajasthan Royals than not retaining Buttler was that they failed to get an established overseas star as a replacement. As a result, they are in a position where they have to pair Jaiswal with a non established Indian batter or move Samson up the order.
Samson has opened the innings for India in 11 T20Is since the 2024 T20 World Cup and has recorded three centuries. However, he has been doing the designated number three role for the Royals for several years. Changing what has worked perfectly for them doesn’t seem right.
Their other options include Nitish Rana, Shubham Dubey, Dhruv Jurel, Kunal Singh Rathore and Vaibhav Suryavanshi. Of those, the first three are likely to comprise the batting line-up alongside Jaiswal, Samson, Parag and Hetmyer. Their positions, though, remain a question mark.
Dubey has an excellent record for Vidarbha in T20 cricket, batting predominantly in the middle order. He has 652 runs in the format at an average of 38 and strike rate of 152. But he doesn’t have enough experience to face top bowlers with the new ball at this level.
Jurel has played 23 matches for Rajasthan Royals, scoring 347 runs batting in the lower middle order at a strike rate of 151. He doesn’t have a great record but has shown good potential.
Rana has played over 100 IPL games and has mostly batted in the top order, which makes him a more natural contender. But his recent form hasn’t been great, managing only 111 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in nine innings.
Weighing the pros and cons of each of their options, Rajasthan Royals should think out of the box and open with Dhruv Jurel in the IPL 2025. He has the technique and temperament to survive testing conditions, and possesses a good range of shots. It is a move worth giving a try, and RR have already taken a big punt by retaining Jurel for that price. Why not another punt?
