3 reasons why releasing Jos Buttler was a big blunder for Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler's explosive form for Gujarat Titans has sparked debate on Rajasthan Royals' decision to release him before the IPL 2025 auction.

3 reasons why releasing Jos Buttler was a big blunder for Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler's impressive form for Gujarat Titans has sparked debate about Rajasthan Royals' decision to not retain him. (via Times of India)

Jos Buttler played a game-changing knock of 73 runs off just 39 balls for Gujarat Titans, guiding them to an eight wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It has raised some serious questions on his former side Rajasthan Royals’ decision to release him ahead of the 2025 IPL season. 

The 2025 IPL Mega Auction was an interesting one for all teams, with several big names moving across teams. Ahead of the auction, the BCCI asked teams to retain their chosen stars. Rajasthan Royals were among the only two teams to retain six players, alongside defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The Men in Pink decided to keep hold of five Indian players, and one foreign player. 

Skipper Sanju Samson and young Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal were retained for INR 18 crores. The two openers were joined by wicket-keeper Dhruv Jurel and all-rounder Riyan Parag, who were retained for INR 14 crores. Meanwhile, Sandeep Sharma was picked at INR 4 crores as their only uncapped retention. West Indies batter Shimron Hetmeyer retained his place in the side for INR 11 crores. 

Surprisingly, RR let go of their star batter Jos Buttler, someone who has been a consistent performer in the IPL over the last few years. RR failed to sign a replacement for the veteran English keeper. Here is a look at the three reasons why releasing him could prove to be a blunder for the team. 

Rajasthan Royals’ batting order lacks considerable experience 

RR’s opening pair has struggled to get things going this season, with both Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal finding it difficult to build a good partnership up top. Moreover, Samson’s injury kept him away from the captaincy duties for the team’s first three matches. As a result of it, the inexperienced Riyan Parag had to step up. Under Parag’s leadership, RR lost two of its first three encounters.

Rajasthan Royals batting lineup
Rajasthan Royals’ batting lineup lacks depth and experience, following Jos Buttler’s departure. (via Instagram)

Had Jos Buttler been there, he would have perfectly replaced Samson, building upon the experience of being England’s white-ball captain. Apart from the two openers, RR’s batting order also lacks depth and experience. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Nitish Rana are not the most dependable batters in high-scoring matches, leaving a major gap in the team’s middle-order. 

Jos Buttler was a match-winner, and has been one of IPL’s finest overseas players

The 34-year-old English star brings with himself loads of experience and striking abilities, making him one of the best batters in the shortest format. In 110 IPL games, Jos Buttler has scored 3748 runs at an average of 39.04 and a strike rate of 148.49. Moreover, he has seven IPL centuries and 21 fifties to his name. Buttler is only behind Virat Kohli as the competition’s leading centurion. 

Jos Buttler centuries RR
Jos Buttler is the second on the list of players with the most IPL centuries, as he has seven to his name. (via News Bytes)

The English wicket-keeper scored two hundreds last season, both of which came in crucial situations, while chasing. Buttler’s heroics helped the side make it to the play-offs as well, last season. Since the start of the 2025 season, he has scored two fifties for his new team, Gujarat Titans. Meanwhile, RR have struggled with the bat, showing that they are missing out on Jos Buttler’s experience. 

Retaining Jos Buttler instead of Shimron Hetmeyer would have been a steal 

Rajasthan Royals decided to keep hold of Shimron Hetmeyer in place of Jos Buttler, an error that might prove costly. While the 28-year-old remains one of the best finishers, he did not have the best of the IPL seasons last time. In 12 matches, Hetmeyer only scored 113 runs at an average of just 22.60. This season, he started off by scoring 42 runs against SRH. However, he failed to guide his team to victory.

Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmeyer
Rajasthan Royals retained Shimron Hetmeyer over Jos Buttler, ahead of the 2025 IPL Auction. (via Hindustan Times)

Shimron Hetmeyer was retained by RR for INR 11 crores. Had they spent the same amount on keeping hold of Jos Buttler, it would have been a steal. It is owing to the fact that he was bought by Gujarat Titans at a massive price of INR 15.75 crores. He even became the most expensive foreign buy at the 2025 IPL Mega Auction, surpassing RR’s Jofra Archer as well.