Samson's 'Jos Buttler' Issue With RR; How Important Was England Batter To Their Fortunes?

Buttler's importance to Samson [Source: @cricbuzz/X.COM]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) trade window is open, and all ten teams would look to strengthen their squad by trading players from other teams. So far, the biggest trade rumour has been Sanju Samson to the Chennai Super Kings. Reportedly, the CSK side is interested in acquiring RR captain's services, and the player is keen on a move.

The RR skipper urged the franchise to either trade him, or release him ahead of the mini auction. Many wondered what transpired between him and RR, but now the reason has been revealed.

Reason for Samson's anger with RR

As per Cricbuzz, Samson was not happy with RR's decision to release Jos Buttler ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. This infuriated the Kerala batter, and now it seems his relation is broken with RR. 

So, for one player, Samson has gone against the franchise that made him a household name. Was Buttler that important for RR?. Here's how the English batter performed for them.

Buttler's staggering numbers for Rajasthan Royals

(Buttler overall RR stats)

As mentioned in the table, Buttler was an integral member of the Royals team, having played for them in 83 matches, and scoring 3055 runs. But what's more important is the number of hundreds he scored for them - 7. Only Kohli has more hundreds in IPL than him (8), and it showcases the impact the English batter had on the fortunes of their side.

Who could forget his 2022 IPL campaign, when Buttler almost single-handedly took them to the finale of the IPL.

(Buttler in IPL 2022)

A staggering 863 runs, and only behind Kohli, and Shubman Gill in terms of most runs scored in a single IPL season. Also, that season, he joined Kohli in another elite list - becoming the player with most hundreds in a single IPL season (4). The next best batter from RR in the 2022 season was Sanju Samson, who had accumulated 458 runs - that is 405 runs less than Buttler.

What made Buttler such a valuable asset

Team player: Buttler was a thorough professional and a team player. For RR, when Yashasvi Jaiswal burst onto the scene, Buttler demoted himself from the opening slot, and batted at number 3 for the betterment of the team. In Gujarat Titans, his new team after RR, Buttler once again showed his willingness to play anywhere, as he slotted at number 3, to accomodate the player of Gill-Sudharsan at the top.

A genuine match-winner: He was the most destructive batter in the RR lineup and was a match-winner, something which the team lacks at the moment. Currently, they have stars who have a higher ceiling, but they are not consistent enough like the English star.

Conclusion

For sure, no player is bigger than a team, but RR never managed to replace the gap left by Buttler. A player who performed exceptionally well for them, but the team released him without any proper replacement, which deservingly left Samson frustrated. You cannot release your best player, and keep the average ones in the side.

---

ALSO READ

CSK Next Captain: Who Could MS Dhoni Pick Between Sanju Samson And Ruturaj Gaikwad?

---