Gujarat Titans’ English recruit Jos Buttler has disclosed the real reason why he came to bat at number 4 instead of his usual position at the 3 during the 2026 Indian Premier League final at the Narendra Modi Stadium last Sunday. GT had suffered a massive 5-wicket loss to lose their 2nd final in 3 seasons with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru claiming their 2nd IPL title in a row.
According to Jos Buttler, it was GT head coach Ashish Nehra’s last-minute decision to send Buttler at number 4, asking him to sit back in the dugout as soon as he put his helmet on after captain Shubman Gill’s dismissal at 10 runs. Buttler had successfully anchored the number 3 position throughout the tournament but it wasn’t going to be the case in the final.
Instead of him, Ashish Nehra sent in young left-hander Nishant Sindhu up the order. Speaking on the For The Love of Cricket podcast with former England pacer Stuart Broad, Buttler revealed the exact moment when it happened.
“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.” – Buttler said via For the love of Cricket podcast.
When the Englishman later questioned the decision, Ashish Nehra admitted that it was a reactive move to get Nishant Sindhu involved in the game as the youngster had previously found himself pushed down to no. 7 despite being a top-order batter.
Unfortunately for Gujarat, the decision backfired, something that even Jos Buttler admitted. GT eventually posted a below-par score of 155/8 which RCB chased down comfortably in 18 overs to lift the trophy.
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“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. 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.” – Jos Buttler concluded.
How many runs did Jos Buttler score in IPL 2026?
Jos Buttler scored 526 runs in 17 outings in IPL 2026 at a strike rate of 152. He amassed 4 half-centuries in the season with a best of 60. Overall, Buttler has scored 4646 runs in 138 matches since making his debut in the Indian Premier League back in 2016.
