3 overseas combinations RR can try to effectively replace Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler has left Rajasthan Royals' (RR) squad ahead of their Guwahati leg in IPL 2024. Buttler, who opens the batting for RR, has left the team because of England's upcoming T20I series against Pakistan. He is England's T20I skipper, and this series will help the defending champions gear up for the T20 World Cup.
Buttler's absence will hurt RR a lot, especially if the team qualifies for the playoffs. Two years ago, he smashed a match-winning century in the Qualifier 2 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the venue which will host this year's Qualifier 1 and Eliminator.
Even in the ongoing IPL season, Jos Buttler registered two match-winning centuries for the Rajasthan Royals. Although he failed to make an impact in the previous game against the Chennai Super Kings, his absence will be felt.
RR have no other option but to find a way to make up for Jos Buttler's absence in the match squad. In this listicle, we will look at the three ways RR foreign combinations Rajasthan can try to effectively replace their English star.
#1 Tom Kohler-Cadmore in for Jos Buttler
Overseas Combination: Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Trent Boult, Nandre Burger.
The straightforward way to replace Buttler is picking Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the playing squad. Tom has never played in IPL before, but he has enormous experience of playing T20 cricket across the globe.
Shedding some light on his T20 numbers, the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has played 187 T20 innings, scoring 4,734 runs at a strike rate of almost 140. He has recorded one century and 34 fifties in his T20 career thus far.
With Rajasthan set to play two more matches before the playoffs, they can consider giving an opportunity to Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who is a proven match-winner in other T20 leagues. The rest of the overseas combination can stay the same as the last match against CSK, where they played with only three foreigners.
#2 Caribbean muscle in the batting lineup
Overseas combination: Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, and Nandre Burger.
Rovman Powell and Shimron Hetmyer were benched for the previous match against the Chennai Super Kings. Both cricketers have the caliber to win the games single-handedly on their day.
Perhaps, Powell can take Jos Buttler's place in the top-order, while Hetmyer can replace Shubham Dubey as the finisher. Trent Boult and Nandre Burger can complete the overseas lineup of the team then.
#3 Donovan Ferreira gets another opportunity
Overseas combination: Donovan Ferreira, Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, and Nandre Burger.
Sanju Samson has done a phenomenal job for Rajasthan Royals at number three this season. He may not want to promote himself as an opener, but if the skipper decides to do so, he can bring in all-rounder Donovan Ferreira in the team.
Ferreira has been a match-winner for Joburg Super Kings in SA20. If he unites forces with Shimron Hetmyer (replacing Shubham Dubey) in the playing squad, then RR's middle-order will become much stronger. Irrespective of whatever changes happen at the top, Boult and Burger should retain their places.