3 reasons why CSK must target Jos Buttler in IPL 2025 Auction
There were always going to be a few surprises in the retention choices of IPL 2025, but not many beat the Rajasthan Royals (RR) not keeping hold of England captain Jos Buttler, even while retaining Indian youngster Dhruv Jurel and West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer for ₹14 crore and ₹11 crore, respectively.
Buttler was not only one of RR's best players since joining in 2018 but also, for a lot of observers and experts, an IPL great. He played a big part in bringing the franchise back on a competitive track since joining with his consistency and leadership skills.
Perhaps it was his recent injury record, his age (Buttler is 34), RR's tendency to over-rely on him sometimes, or the fact that IPL often clashes with one England series or the other which makes him miss some part of the tournament -- but the franchise seems to have moved on from him.
Buttler's Instagram post after the retentions were announced also seemed to signify the same.
“Thank you to Rajasthan Royals and everyone associated with the franchise for seven incredible seasons. The best years of my cricketing career began in 2018, and my fondest memories in the last six years have come in a pink jersey. Thank you for welcoming me and my family with open arms. There’s much more I could say, but let’s leave it here," he wrote.
With the Englishman likely to be back in the auction, there would be many teams hunting for his signature. He'd come as the sixth-highest non-Indian run-scorer of the tournament, who can keep wickets, lead the team and single-handedly win games on his day.
Although most teams will also consider his age, there's one that will see it as a wealth of experience instead -- Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Below, we explain three reasons why the franchise should take a bet on Buttler in the IPL 2025 auction.
#3 Necessity - Specialist 'keeper option to back MS Dhoni up
One of the biggest requirements for CSK to fulfill in the IPL 2025 auction is a specialist wicketkeeper. It seems unlikely that MS Dhoni will play all 14-17 matches and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad only keeps wicket part-time.
Buttler could be perfect for the role. Not only is he one of the best in the world behind the stumps, for both pace and spin, but he's also a gun fielder without the gloves. CSK won't have to hide him in the field in the games that Dhoni would keep and Buttler would also be able to help Gaikwad with tactics.
Other teams need wicketkeepers too. But in an auction where Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan will all go under the hammer, an overseas option could go for a slightly cheaper price.
CSK would love to have Pant, too, and some reports from Chennai have claimed their interest in him as well. However, they might not be able to afford to shell out around ₹20 crore for him from their remaining budget of ₹55 crore.
#2 Avoiding creating a separate power center
Another advantage that Buttler has over Pant and Rahul (and somewhat, even Kishan) is that the Englishman won't want the leadership of the team. Both Indian wicketkeepers have been captains of their IPL sides and might have the ambition to lead India full-time in the future; IPL captaincy works wonders for that.
CSK would potentially want to avoid such a competition. It has been less than a year since Gaikwad took over from Dhoni and the transition, albeit difficult for fans, was smooth sailing. Captaincy can always be a difficult conversation in a team like CSK and Pant or Rahul coming in might again divide the fanbase over it.
Buttler played under Sanju Samson at RR and helped foster an excellent environment, where he was available when needed for his experience but never forceful. The benefit of his age, like with other CSK players of the past, would be him playing with more freedom and less personal shackles than youngsters.
In a choice of stability+batting and flair+batting, CSK need the former more than the latter.
#1 Perfect partner for Ruturaj Gaikwad
Last season, Devon Conway's injury hurt CSK dearly. Rachin Ravindra was good but only in patches and apart from Gaikwad, there wasn't anyone racking up big runs. Even the skipper often looked bogged by the responsibility of the batting line-up, failing to score quick runs in the powerplay when needed.
Buttler, specializing in hard-hitting powerplays (strike rate of 140.19) with consistency (average of 43.08), can help solve that issue. Especially on flatter tracks away from Chepauk's turning/seaming pitches which help all bowlers, CSK would love Buttler's ability to score big, ~175-strike-rate centuries.
He'll be an upgrade on Conway in terms of batting range and experience and almost a younger, like-for-like replacement for Faf du Plessis, who was half of a magnificent pair alongside Gaikwad. That's something not many other 'keeper-bats in the IPL 2025 auction will promise.