England batter Jos Buttler has revealed that the decision to promote youngster Nishant Sindhu ahead of him in the IPL final was taken by Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra. The move came during a match that ultimately ended in disappointment for the Titans, who were comprehensively beaten by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the title clash at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Gujarat entered the final with momentum on their side after a convincing win over Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2, but they were unable to find answers against an RCB side that had already defeated them in Qualifier 1. Chasing a second title, the Titans struggled in all departments and never managed to gain control of the contest.
Their problems began early when captain Shubman Gill was dismissed for 10 in the third over. In a surprise tactical move, Gujarat sent Nishant Sindhu in ahead of Buttler, hoping to counter RCB’s bowling attack. The gamble failed to pay off. Sai Sudharsan departed in the following over, increasing the pressure, while Nishant managed 20 before being dismissed in the eighth over. By then, the innings had lost momentum. Buttler was unable to accelerate, scoring 19 from 23 deliveries before falling. Gujarat eventually posted 155, a total that proved well below par as RCB completed a comfortable chase to secure back-to-back IPL titles.
Buttler revealed that the surprise promotion of Nishant was a tactical call from head coach Ashish Nehra. The England star admitted he was preparing to walk out after the early dismissal of Shubman before being told that the youngster would be sent in ahead of him.
“When the first wicket went down, I got up to put my helmet on. But Ashish Nehra said, ‘You sit back down, we are going to send Nishant in at 3’. I did ask him after the game, and he just said it felt reactive at that point, and it was a good chance to get Nishant in the game as he’s a top-order batter,” Buttler said on For The Love of Cricket Podcast.
Buttler explained that the thinking behind the move was to give Nishant a greater role in the game, noting that the youngster had often found himself pushed down the order or left with little opportunity to bat.
“He has been sometimes on that slippery slope where the team gets going, and he has ended up not batting or batting at 7. So it was a decision to get him in the game. He had batted ahead of me in another game against KKR. Right or wrong, it just didn’t work out for us,” he added.
“Not a great look”: Buttler on his own knock
The former England skipper was also candid about his own disappointing contribution in the final, admitting he failed to provide the innings Gujarat Titans needed after arriving at the crease in a difficult situation.
“When I did bat, I wanted to take it deep as we had lost a few wickets. I just never got the boundaries and got done in by a good piece of bowling from a smart operator, Krunal Pandya. It’s disappointing when you go worse than a run-a-ball in an IPL final. It’s not a great look,” Buttler added.
