Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals Were "Very, Very Timid": Ex-England Captain After Poor Batting Show

It was an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 which had Gujarat Titans' name written all over it. The Hardik Pandya-led team first restricted Rajasthan Royals to just 130/9 in 20 overs in the final. Then they reached the target with 1.5 overs to spare, losing just three wickets to lift the title. For Royals, Jos Buttler top-scored with a 35-ball 39. He also ended up being the overall highest run-getter of the season with a tally of 863 in 17 matches. However, Buttler's show in the final left former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan unimpressed.

"Surprised by Rajasthan. They didn't seem to play with any kind of bravery. I thought they were very timid. (Gujarat) bowling was very good. Hardik was excellent, he picked two key wickets. It's a huge kind of bonus for him as a captain," Michael Vaughan said in an interview to Cricbuzz after Rajasthan Royals' innings.

"I thought even Jos Buttler was very, very timid. It was almost he was waiting for bad balls. He wasn't on the front-foot trying to dislodge the bowlers off the length. We did see one ramp shot but we didn't see him make space and whack it over mid-off.

"There was nothing really. It was almost like they were trying to play safe, trying to reach 150-160. From what I saw from Rajasthan's point of view, they seemed to be a little bit of afraid to be brave and that can cost you in a final,” the ex-England star added.

Rajasthan Royals star batter Jos Buttler bagged six awards which included Most Valuable Player of the season, Orange Cap, most number of sixes in the season, most number of fours in the season, Powerplayer of the season and Gamechanger of the season award.

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The Englishman registered a whopping 863 runs in 17 matches, at an average of 57.53