RR skipper Sanju Samson shares his views on Jos Buttler
What's the story
Rajasthan Royals' (RR) captain, Sanju Samson, has revealed that one of his most difficult decisions was parting ways with Jos Buttler ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
The England wicketkeeper-batter had been a key player for RR since 2018, amassing 3,055 runs in 83 matches at an average of 41.84 and a strike rate of 147.79.
However, he wasn't retained by the team for the 2025 season and was bought by the Gujarat Giants for a whopping ₹15.75 crore.
Close friendship
Samson reflects on his bond with Buttler
In a recent interview on JioStar, Samson opened up about the decision to let Buttler go.
He called IPL an opportunity to lead a team and forge close friendships.
"Jos Buttler is one of my closest friends," he said. "We played together for seven years... He has been like an elder brother to me."
Whenever I had a doubt, I would talk to him. When I became captain [2021], he was my vice-captain and helped me a lot," he stated.
Policy critique
Samson's thoughts on IPL player retention policy
Samson also spoke about the IPL's policy of releasing players every three years.
He admitted that although there are positives to the rule, it results in losing long-term connections and relationships built over time.
"If I could change one thing in the IPL, I would change the rule of releasing players every three years," he said.
"He was a part of the family. Letting him go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me," he further revealed.
Coach reunion
Excitement to reunite with Rahul Dravid
Despite Buttler's exit, Samson is excited to reunite with Rahul Dravid, who returned as coach of Rajasthan Royals.
"Rahul sir was the one who spotted me from the trials," Samson said.
"From there to now, with me being the captain of the franchise and he coming back - I'm very grateful...to have Rahul sir, back."
Notably, Dravid was RR's captain when Samson made his IPL debut in 2013.
Mentorship
Samson's approach to mentoring young talent
Samson also spoke about his way of mentoring younger players, particularly 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
"I don't like to go and give advice," he said. "My way of approaching a young guy is to sit back and observe what he likes...and ask him what kind of support he wants from me."
He praised Suryavanshi's confidence, saying the kid was hitting sixes out of the ground in their academy.
Stats
Decoding the crunch IPL stats of Buttler
As mentioned, Buttler amassed 3,055 runs in 83 matches at 41.84 and a strike rate of 147.79.
The batter also smashed seven tons alongside 18 fifties in this duration.
Overall, he has racked up 3,582 runs at an average of 38.11 across 107 matches. He also boasts a strike rate of 147.53 with a high score of 124.
He also owns 19 fifties in total.
Meanwhile, last season, he managed 359 runs in 11 innings at 39.89, including two tons.