Robin Uthappa, a former cricketer from India, recently took a swing at the Rajasthan Royals (RR) for their decision to drop Jos Buttler before the big auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025. This came after Rajasthan faced a tough loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 9, where they couldn’t chase down a hefty target of 218 runs and ended up losing by 58 runs.
After witnessing their defeat, Uthappa was pretty critical about how Rajasthan handled their auction strategy. He was particularly baffled by the fact that they let go of big names like Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin. Before the mega auction, the team had used all six of their retention slots, keeping hold of players like Sanju Samson (18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (18 crore), Riyan Parag (14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (11 crore), and Sandeep Sharma (4 crore).
In his remarks on Star Sports, Uthappa pointed out, “I think that’s where RR went wrong in the auctions, didn’t they? By letting guys like Jos Buttler, Ashwin, and Yuzi Chahal go, they created a lot of gaps in the team. Just imagine if Shimron Hetmyer gets hurt; they don’t have anyone to step in for him. It makes you wonder how that’s supposed to work for them.”
Shane Watson also chimed in, reflecting on the strong bond between Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler. He expressed his surprise at Rajasthan’s choice to let him go, suggesting that their chemistry was more than just about performance on the field. According to Watson, “The way Sanju connects with Jos as a leader really has a big impact on the vibe within the team. There are many aspects beyond just on-field performance that add value, which makes it shocking that Rajasthan Royals didn’t keep him.”
Buttler had been with the Rajasthan Royals since the 2018 season and played a crucial role in their journey to the finals in 2022, racking up an impressive 863 runs in 17 innings. Despite his key contributions over the following seasons, it came as a shock when he wasn’t retained before the auction. In the end, he was picked up by Gujarat Titans for a staggering Rs 15.75 crore in the mega-auction.
