IPL 2022 | RR vs CSK: Why has Jos 'the boss' Buttler gone missing?

In the 68th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be squaring off against each other at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. 

While CSK has been eliminated from the tournament, RR is still in the title race. They have played 13 matches in the tournament till now and have registered 16 points to their name.

RR's campaign this season has been boosted by the brilliant batting exploits of their opening wicket-keeper batter, Jos Buttler. He was responsible for the majority of their wins. But in the last few matches, Buttler has lost his touch and struggles to get the big runs. So, in this article, we will be trying to find an answer as to why is 'Jos the Boss' missing.

Before we delve deeper in an attempt to find the answer, let us first look at his records in the ongoing season of IPL.

IPL 2022: In IPL 2022, Buttler has played 13 innings and has scored 627 runs in them. His detailed records in the tournament are as follows:

Innings: 13 Runs: 627 RPI: 48.23 SR: 148.25 BPB: 4.54 BPD: 35.25

The records look very impressive, but the start he got in the tournament gave a feeling that he would break the stellar record of Virat Kohli's 973 runs in one season. But he has seemingly lost his precious touch, which is an area of concern for his team. Buttler's IPL 2022 season can be divided into two parts based on his performance.

First Seven Matches:

Runs: 472 Balls Faced: 304 SR: 161.51 RPI: 67.42 50s: 2 100s: 3

Last Six Matches:

Runs: 155 Balls Faced: 144 SR: 107.63 RPI: 25.83 50s: 2 100s: 0

Observation: So, the difference is the two phases is quite evident. While he scored at a brilliant strike rate and an RPI in the first half, it has dropped to below par in the last six matches. While he was scoring a minimum of 67 runs in the first seven matches, he just scored around 26 runs in the previous six games. His strike rate has also dropped from 161.51 to 107.63. Thus, there is an evident drop in Buttler's form.

Probable Reason: Buttler is one of those rare English batters who is equally adept against pace and spin. But he is a player who enjoys pace on the ball. Hence, with the pitches slowing down with the tournament's progress, Buttler has found it challenging to get going. 

Teams have also figured out that he enjoys room on both sides of the stumps, and hence they have tried to bowl closer to his body, trying to cramp him. Besides, the toll of such a long tournament and the conditions with which he is not much habituated is also getting the better of him. 

All these factors have contributed to Buttler losing his form and touch. But RR moving towards the business end of the tournament, will surely hope that he quickly revives his form.