Gujarat Titans wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler said the Indian Premier League (IPL), whose 19th edition starts from Saturday, has had the biggest influence on his cricketing career, adding that conversations he has had during his time in the tournament have served him well while representing England in all three formats.
Buttler has played 121 matches and scored 4,120 runs at an average of 40, a strike rate of 149.38, including hitting seven hundreds and 24 fifties. He enjoyed a prolific IPL 2025 by amassing 538 runs in 13 innings at an imposing average of 59.8 and a strike rate of 163, as he, Shubman Gill, and B Sai Sudharsan made for a formidable top-order in the competition.
“Absolutely – as I said, I think the IPL has been the biggest influence on my cricket career. Some of the lessons that I've learned during IPL seasons, (then) some of the interactions I've had, and some of the people I've had the pleasure of getting to meet and work with as coaches and players.
“It’s just in the IPL -- some of the conversations that I've taken from the IPL have served me well in playing for England in both Test cricket and T20 cricket, then 50-over cricket - so it's had a huge impact. “Like Kevin (Pietersen) was saying in his interview (on Buttler’s podcast), the opportunity to be a friend of Raoul Dravid and work on that technique about playing spin creates some great opportunities that would otherwise be very limited.
“Even for instance, I've been here for three or four days and getting to talk to Matthew Hayden about batting -- I wouldn't get that opportunity probably otherwise. So it's really had the same impact for me as for KP,” Buttler told IANS in a virtual roundtable chat on Saturday.
GT, the 2022 IPL champions, will open their campaign against Punjab Kings in New Chandigarh on March 31. Buttler’s ability to consolidate and press the accelerator makes him one of the most dangerous batters in the shortest format. But Buttler heads into IPL 2026 after a lean T20 World Cup, where he managed only 87 runs in eight innings.
Asked whether this IPL carries extra significance following a below-par T20 World Cup campaign, Buttler insisted his approach to the tournament remains unchanged regardless of past showings. “It's no more important or less important than any other IPL I've played.
No matter what's gone on before, I always turn up to the IPL -- looking forward to the season, wanting to contribute to the team, and wanting to play well. So whether I've been scoring lots of runs coming into the IPL, it's the same challenge. “Like, can you prepare well?
Can you get in a good headspace to go out there and give yourself the best chance to perform? And whether I've been struggling for runs, it's the same challenge. So you have the energy to keep trying, keep putting yourself out there, keep preparing well, and trying to get back into the runs, as you would say.
“So it's the same challenge whether you've been, like I said, in a form or out of form. I turn up to the IPL every year excited, looking forward to the tournament, and really wanting to just play well for the team. So I'll just look at the scoreboard and try and do what's required on the day,” he elaborated.
On whether he had been able to pinpoint what went wrong for him in the T20 World Cup, Buttler stated there was no single answer to it, adding that leaning on a small, trusted circle of advisors, along with enjoying some time away from the game, has helped him to return to IPL cricket with a clear head.
“There's probably a small circle of people that you turn to try and ask for their advice or their opinion on what they're seeing. Ultimately, I tried hard and put a lot of effort into that World Cup, and for a multitude of reasons, probably, it just didn't quite work out.
“Actually, having the capacity and discipline to just say, that's okay. I tried hard to play a game that has elements of things that I can't control, and everyone else is trying to do well as well. So it just didn't quite work out. “Being a 35-year-old player, I've had 15 years of times where I've had good form, bad form, had tournaments that went really well or didn't go to plan.
So I think you're always trying to reflect and do self-analysis. But pinpointing one thing, there's actually, if there was that one secret, then I think we'd all know it, and we'd all score runs every time. “But I don't think that exists. So it's just, I've had a bit of space from the game, which I've really enjoyed and sort of reflected on, whether I've scored runs or not, the challenge is the same thing for me - go to practice with energy and optimism, prepare well, and then go to the game, start on nought, and take it from there,” he explained.
Buttler signed off by saying uncapped Indian pacer Ashok Sharma, who was previously with Rajasthan Royals, has far more attributes to his game than raw pace. “There's a lot more than just the pace. Actually, Ashok was a net bowler at Rajasthan for a long time, so I used to face him in the nets a bit there.
“He obviously played with Rajasthan last year, but I played against him in a practice game. He's obviously got pace, accuracy, and a fantastic slower ball. He's got a big heart, which I think you need as a fast bowler. So he's got all the attributes to be an exciting fast bowler.”