Jos Buttler drops big claim, says ‘IPL had biggest impact on my career’

If the housekeeper Stating that the Indian Premier League had the biggest impact on his career, the lessons learned and interactions during the game helped him achieve results in different formats of English cricket. Now with the Gujarat Titans, Buttler highlighted how exposure to elite players and coaches has improved his game, pointing to the Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden As a key influence, especially against spin. “Absolutely. As I said, the IPL had the biggest impact on my career. The lessons I learned during the IPL season, the interactions I had and the people I worked with as a coach and as a player were all invaluable. “Some of those conversations stood out to me while representing England in Test cricket, T20 cricket and 50-over cricket. It made a huge difference. “As Kevin (Petersen) said in my podcast interview, the opportunity to build a relationship with Rahul Dravid and play spin creates opportunities that would otherwise be very limited. “Even now, after being here for a few days, I can talk to Matthew Hayden about batting that I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. So it affects me the same way it affects KP,” Buttler said. Buttler scored 4,120 runs in 121 IPL games at an average of 40 and a strike rate of 149.38, including seven centuries. He performed well in IPL 2025, scoring 538 runs at 59.8 runs in 13 innings with a strike rate of 163, with Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan. GT, the 2022 champions, will kick off IPL 2026 on March 31 against Kings XI Punjab in New Chandigarh. Although he had a poor showing at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring 87 runs in eight innings, Buttler said his mentality has not changed. “This is as important as any other IPL. Regardless of what happened before, I will be looking forward to the season and hope to contribute and play well. “The challenge is the same – be prepared, get into a good frame of mind and give yourself the best chance to perform. Whether you’re in form or out of form, you need energy to keep trying, to keep preparing and to differentiate yourself. “I am excited every time I play an IPL match and hope to do well for the team. I just try to assess the situation and do what needs to be done that day,” he said. Speaking about his struggles at the World Cup, Buttler admitted there was no single reason and said the time away from the game helped him regroup. “I asked a small group of people for advice on what they had seen. I tried hard during the World Cup but for a number of reasons it didn’t work out. “You have to accept that. It’s a game that has elements you can’t control and everyone is trying to perform. “At 35, I’ve been through 15 years of highs and lows. You reflect and analyse, but there are no secrets. If there were, everyone would score every time. “I enjoyed having some time away and doing some reflection, but the challenge is still the same – to put energy into training, get ready and then start from scratch on game day,” he explained. Butler also praised uncapped pacer Ashok Sharma, whom he played against during his time with the Nets. rajasthan royals. “He is more than just pace. He has accuracy, a very good off-speed ball and a big heart – qualities that every fast bowler needs. He has all the attributes to be an exciting prospect.”