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Jos Buttler not to open for Gujarat Titans? Shubman Gill says 'we haven't decided at which number he will bat' in surprising statement ahead of Punjab Kings match

IPL 2025: Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill has not zeroed in on Jos Buttler's batting position ahead of the clash against Punjab Kings.

Sports Tak

• Tue • 25 Mar 2025

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill gives his bat to Jos Buttler.

Highlights:

Jos Buttler has 7 centuries in his IPL career.

Sai Sudharsan is an opening candidate for Gujarat Titans.

Buttler batted at no.3 in T20I series against India.

Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Shubman Gill did not confirm former England skipper Jos Buttler as his opening partner ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign opener against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Buttler who opened the innings alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal at Rajasthan Royals (RR) may bat at no.3 or down the order when he takes the field on March 25 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

"Firstly, we have all seen what he has done in T20 cricket for England and in IPL. I think in the previous series he batted at number 3, so I don't think there is any problem with him about batting at different numbers," Gill told the reporters on the eve of their clash against Shreyas Iyer-led side.

"Having said that, we haven't decided at which number he will bat, maybe we will get to know about it tomorrow during the match, but over the course of I think 8-9 years that he has played IPL, he has played at different numbers and he has performed at different numbers, so I don't see that as a problem for us."

Buttler at no.3 in England series

Buttler has batted at no.3 for England in the T20I format as well as Phil Salt and Ben Duckett opened the innings. He can take up a similar role at GT as well.

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Buttler was not retained by Sanju Samson's RR and became GT's most expensive player in the mega auction. The Englishman was roped in for Rs 15.75 crore, making him the most expensive overseas player in the mega auction as well.

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Buttler's IPL stats

Buttler holds the record for most runs by an England batter in IPL history. The 34-year-old has played for Mumbai Indians (MI) as well. He has scored 3,582 runs from 106 innings at an average of 38.10, including seven centuries and 19 half-centuries. His strike rate is 147.52.

If not Buttler, who can open for Gujarat Titans?

Other opening contender for GT is Sai Sudharsan who batted at no.3 last season. Sudharsan will also help GT maintain the left-right combination at the top of the order. It will be interesting to see if a rookie walks out to bat alongside Gill to open against PBKS who boast of bowling lineup including Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Azmatullah Omarzai, Yuvendra Chahal and others.