The more things change, the more they remain the same is an adage Gujarat Titans would have paid heed to following a dismal Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign.
GT has been a top-heavy batting side since its inception in 2022, the year it won the Indian Premier League (IPL) title.
It came close to doing the double the following year with a similar strategy before the law of averages caught up with it in 2024, when it finished eighth in the standings.
Though most would have expected wholesale changes to a batting approach that increasingly has little currency in modern T20 parlance, the GT management stuck to its guns and reinforced the top order by nabbing Jos Buttler in the auctions last November.
Out of the comfort zone
While most would have expected Buttler to reprise his role as opener, alongside skipper Shubman Gill, GT bumped Sai Sudharsan to the top.
Slotting in at No. 3, Buttler was forced to move out of a position he had revelled at during his seven-year long stint with Rajasthan Royals, and that made all the difference this season.
Typically, the drawback of top-heavy batting teams is that they put a premium on their wicket owing to a lack of stability through the middle-order and lower down.
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Consequently, GT was the slowest scoring team in the PowerPlay last season, managing just 7.72 runs an over during this phase even as teams such as Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders were scoring in excess of 11.
The monotony spilled over into the middle overs (7 to 15), where the Titans struck at 8.36 runs an over – only faster than Chennai Super Kings.
What changed this season
But Buttler’s versatility as anchor and power-hitter has changed all that this season. His unbeaten 54-ball 97 against Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad on Saturday was a case in point as Gujarat chased down a 200-run-plus total for the first time in the IPL.
After Gill’s early departure, Buttler took the spinners on in the PowerPlay and laid into Mitchell Starc later to set up the table-topping win.
Gujarat Titans batters Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill haven’t been forced out of their respective comfort zones, given the assurance they have in the form of Jos Buttler.
| Photo Credit:
PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore
Gujarat Titans batters Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill haven’t been forced out of their respective comfort zones, given the assurance they have in the form of Jos Buttler.
| Photo Credit:
PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore
The assurance that Buttler provides has allowed Sudharsan and Gill to stick to their ways. They aren’t the most explosive openers in the tournament, and rank seventh and 10th, respectively, among openers with the highest strike rate (minimum 100 balls faced).
And while they have ensured that GT’s run rate in the PowerPlay has swelled from 7.72 last year to 9.38 this year, it hasn’t forced them out of their comfort zones. In fact, their percentage of attacking shots as openers is at an all-time low (59.9 per cent) compared to GT’s other opening pairs since 2022.
Moreover, the contribution of GT’s top three to the team’s overall run tally this season is at an all-time high of 68.56 per cent, while its average of 51.50 is the highest in the tournament.
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Thus, GT has managed to hold on to its philosophy of putting a premium on top-order wickets and minimising risk while still scoring at a faster clip.
Buttler vs spin
The uptick in Buttler’s ability to handle spin has also played a part in GT’s improved returns across phases of play. He is striking at 164.55 against the tweakers this season, the best since 2021, and that has allowed him to unleash his best through the middle-overs, where he is going at 173.38 – his second-best strike rate during this phase in a single season.
Interestingly, despite his reputation as one of the most destructive batters in the league, Buttler has been a slow starter. His PowerPlay strike rate this year is just 117.64 – his third lowest in a season ever. Pushing him down lower has perhaps given him the ideal entry point – when the ball isn’t as new and the spinners are operating.
Jos Buttler is striking at 164.55 against spinners this season, the best since 2021.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI / THE HINDU
Jos Buttler is striking at 164.55 against spinners this season, the best since 2021.
| Photo Credit:
VIJAY SONEJI / THE HINDU
Buttler has been dismissed in the first two overs of an innings in the IPL with increasing frequency. He lost his wicket seven times across IPL 2023 and IPL 2024 in the first two overs, after being dismissed just twice during this phase in the six seasons prior. At No. 3, he has had to face just two balls in the first couple of overs this season, and this has worked in favour of both the Englishman and the Titans.
Even as a cloud of suspense hung over Buttler’s batting position ahead of Gujarat’s season opener against Punjab Kings, Gill had hinted at the 34-year-old being pushed to No. 3.
“We have all seen what he has done in T20 cricket for England and in the IPL, and in the previous series, he batted at No. 3, so I don’t think there is any problem with him batting at different numbers,” the skipper had said.
With five wins in seven games and a top-of-the-table vantage point mid-season, Gill and the management will feel vindicated.