Rajasthan Royals’ star wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has returned to the Pink dug-out for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 after missing out in the second half of last year. While he had sustained a finger injury and has been out of action for a few months during Ashes, he said that he is excited and is looking forward to the new season as well.
“It’s a really exciting time for the team, you know, to start a new cycle and build a new team. The aim here is to win the IPL, and I can’t wait to contribute to that,” Buttler said in an RR release.
“We are delighted to have so many great players in the squad. Obviously, (Ravichandran) Ashwin and (Yuzvendra) Chahal are two of the best spinners in the world, and with a great pace attack, I think it’s really exciting. Then we’ve got a strong batting line-up, along with great all-round options, so I think it’s going to be a really exciting IPL for us,” he further added.
Jos Buttler said he was “quite flattered” after he was retained by the franchise. Buttler said “There were only a certain number of players that could stay with the franchise, so it was quite flattering to have been offered to be retained. I’ve always enjoyed playing for this franchise and have had some really enjoyable memories.”
“Obviously, I knew the franchise had placed their trust in me, along with Sanju and Yash (Yashasvi Jaiswal). There were a lot of conversations that happened before the auction, and we were just focused on trying to create a strong team, covering all bases that you need to win the tournament,” he said. “I think I’ve played a lot of cricket in the last few years and have spent a lot of time in bubbles. It was a disappointing campaign in the Ashes, which finished with a broken finger for me. Post that, I haven’t touched cricket at all – I’ve got a young family, so I had the time to relax and enjoy myself with them.”
“I actually found it really important to do something different from cricket. It sort of brings that extra motivation and excitement when you haven’t played for a bit. Of course, I enjoy my fitness, but I think it was important to put my cricket kit away for a bit. Now coming into an important year, both in the IPL and then the T20 World Cup, I feel really fresh and full of confidence. I’m also looking forward to connecting with a lot of people, especially Chahal. I’ve played against him a few times, and he seems to be that fun character in the team. So, I’m looking forward to having him on my team,” he again added.
“There’s also (Devdutt) Padikkal, who scored a hundred against us last year. I think he looks like a fantastic young player, so I’m excited to have him here. My role as a senior player is to try to give the other guys confidence. It’s to transmit a very free-spirited mindset, and act as a sounding board for young players. It’s important for them to be fearless, and to just embrace the opportunity. I remember when I was a young player, just having that five minutes of conversation with someone would go a long way, and I would love to help the younger guys in the same way,” Jos Buttler concluded.
Rajasthan Royals will start their 2022 IPL campaign by playing against SunRisers Hyderabad at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday, 29th March 2022.
