The last couple of months haven’t been encouraging for Jos Buttler. As England ODI skipper, his form had plunged, the team failed miserably in the Champions Trophy and he decided to give up captaincy.

But IPL 2025 has already restored the spring in his step. At Gujarat Titans, his new franchise, he has already smashed two half-centuries, including a 73 not out off 39 balls in their last match against RCB in Bengaluru. With 166 runs in three matches at a strike-rate of 172.91, he is placed in the top half of the run-getters’ list.

Buttler admitted that being “relaxed” and “free” have helped him focus on
his batting.

“Obviously, the last few months were challenging as England captain with the results the way they were, and I think as a leader, your job is to try and get the best out of the players. And we weren’t performing to the standard that we were capable of.

“So you know, that’s obviously disappointing when you’re in that leadership position. And yeah, certainly I feel a lot freer having given it up. But obviously, it’s very sad to do that,” Buttler told The Telegraph on Friday morning.

“It’s a great honour being captain, but it’s the right decision for me and the team. And, yeah, now I can just sort of focus on my batting and my wicket-keeping... I can devote all my energy towards that and also my energy to other stuff that I like doing. So I feel, yeah, a lot relaxed.”

Having moved away from Rajasthan Royals following a seven-year association, Buttler is getting used to the new environment. “I’ve really enjoyed the set-up here at Gujarat Titans which is something new. It’s a great motivation to be in a new team. There’s an excellent vibe within the team... The players and support staff get along well.
So far so good,” the No.3 batter said.

Getting to play under Shubman Gill has been a very good experience for Buttler. The other night, when he scooped Josh Hazlewood over the wicketkeeper for a six, it left his Titans captain spellbound. Buttler has borrowed some tactics from other sports into cricket —hockey, baseball and golf —and blended it well with his power hitting.

“I’m enjoying it. It’s been great playing under Shubman, who is a star... Obviously, admire him as a player, having played against him... But now being in the same dressing room, watching him train, watching him practice and lead the team, it’s been great,” Buttler said.

England’s T20 World Cup-winning captain lauded Gill’s leadership. “Obviously, he has worked as a vice-captain under Rohit Sharma, who I think is a fabulous captain. He’s got a pretty good guy to learn from in the India team and obviously getting the experience here, being the captain and leading from the front... I think he’s been fantastic so far. I’ve really enjoyed playing under him.”

Does T20 cricket’s unpredictability make it more challenging?

“I think all cricket can be a little bit unpredictable, so the skill of the game is turning up on the day,” said Buttler. “Not having too many pre-conceived ideas of what will happen regardless of the format and then trying to play accordingly at your best. In T20, the nuances of the game are just in a much shorter space of time than they are in ODIs.”

With next year’s T20 World Cup in India only 10 months away, all overseas cricketers are treating this edition as a preparatory tournament. Buttler, though, admits it will be very difficult to overcome India in their own conditions.

“The IPL has been around now for, I think, what’s this, the 18th season? So, you know, foreign players have been coming here for a long time now and playing a lot of cricket in this part of the world.

“So there’s a lot more familiarity with the conditions than maybe there was pre-IPL, when, you know, teams didn’t spend as much time playing cricket in India. So it does help the players, you know, as much as the condition,” he said.

“It’s sort of knowing the country and the hotels and what it’s like to spend time here. So all those little things help when you come here... but you know, you’re still playing against teams in their own conditions. Obviously, India are very strong here in their own conditions.”