Jos Buttler has enjoyed an outstanding 2022 IPL campaign with Rajasthan Royals as he pursues his first title with the franchise. The 31-year-old had already established himself as one of the most dominant batsmen in the world in white-ball cricket due to his form with England on the international stage.
With the Royals, Buttler was still able to display his dazzling skills, although not quite at the same level as he was able to shine for England. However, the 2022 campaign has changed all perceptions of his ability to thrive in the IPL, becoming only the second player in the history of the competition behind Virat Kohli to score three centuries in one IPL season.
Jos Buttler now has four hundreds and seven half-centuries in his last 33 T20 innings 😮#IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/90K7U5cg29
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 18, 2022
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Kohli holds the all-time record for most runs scored in one IPL campaign with 973, and that is well within the sights of Buttler entering the final third of the competition. Kohli produced a mesmeric 2016 campaign with Royal Challengers Bangalore, but the prize of the IPL crown eluded the brilliant right-hander despite his achievements with the bat. RCB was beaten in the final by Sunrisers Hyderabad, proving that individual performances are not enough to win the tournament.
Buttler will be out to defy that trend as he continues to focus his success in the white-ball game after seemingly seeing his Test career with England come to a close.
Revitalized Buttler
Buttler was a beaten man after England’s 4-0 defeat in the Ashes to Australia. He endured a miserable campaign before missing the final Test of the series due to injury. Buttler averaged only 15.83, scoring 107 runs in eight innings amid an onslaught from the Australia attack, while his keeping was also extremely poor. The 31-year-old had found his form in Test cricket in 2020, playing a vital role in England’s victory over Pakistan. He scored a century and a fifty, with the latter being a crucial knock of 75 to steer Joe Root’s men to victory at Old Trafford. Buttler sustained that standard overseas in Sri Lanka in another triumph for England.
However, after being rested against India his form began to unravel over the course of the English summer amid the multitude of matches and formats that Buttler was required to play in. It resulted in a poor series against India on home soil, where questions were raised about whether Buttler deserved his place on the Test side. He clicked back into gear for the ICC World T20, with a number of sensational displays.
But the immediate change back to the red ball after England’s exit in the semi-finals was short and sharp and caught Butter and his teammates cold in Australia. A switch back to the IPL and the white ball has brought out the best in the 31-year-old once again, and it may persuade Buttler once and for all that his career lies solely in the shorter formats of the game, especially when he can obliterate bowling attacks with ease when firing on all cylinders.
What Does The Future Hold?
Buttler has been sensational in the IPL and his huge lead at the top of the run chart has seen him become the heavy favorite to finish as the top run-scorer in the tournament. Buttler much like Kohli before him would trade all his runs to win the IPL crown for the first time, and that could be a tricky proposition given Rajasthan’s form, who is now priced at 5.50 in the IPL odds to take the title. The Royals had been on the path to finishing first in the standings and with it an automatic spot in Qualifier 1. However, Rajasthan has work to do to secure a playoff spot.
Outside of Buttler, the rest of the batting ranks have failed to fire on a consistent basis, meaning that it will take a special effort from the England man to orchestrate a title win for the Royals. If Buttler can achieve that he will then have to turn his focus back to the English summer. Although England has Test matches scheduled under new captain Ben Stokes, for the sake of Buttler and his form for major events to come, England will be best off allowing the wicket-keeper/batsman to focus on his white-ball duties.
He is already deemed the T20 and ODI captain in waiting behind Eoin Morgan and will play a vital role in the ODI series against India and South Africa before World T20 in Australia towards the end of the year. It would be quite an achievement for Buttler to steer the Royals and England to T20 titles in 2022 to cap a redemption arc for his career.
