IPL 2026: Can Jos Buttler Shake Off Lean T20 World Cup Run? England Star Eyes Reset With Gujarat Titans

Jos Buttler is looking at a clean slate after a difficult stretch, choosing to step back from the game completely before diving into a new challenge with the Gujarat Titans in the upcoming Indian Premier League.

Following a disappointing T20 World Cup where neither form nor rhythm came together, the England batter made a conscious call to disconnect from cricket, mentally and physically, rather than immediately trying to correct things in the nets.

That pause, he believes, has given him clarity, energy, and perspective at a crucial point, especially with a fresh IPL stint offering the chance to rebuild momentum.

The World Cup campaign itself was far from ideal. Buttler, despite continued backing from the England setup, struggled to make an impact at the top of the order.

Across eight innings, he managed only 87 runs at an average of 10.87, striking at 116, numbers that underline just how tough the tournament was for one of England’s most reliable white-ball batters.

England’s journey eventually came to an end in the semifinal, where they were beaten by India in a high-scoring encounter in Mumbai.

"I couldn't have been further away from cricket, which for me at the time was just perfect. It's exactly what I needed," Buttler said on 'For the Love of Cricket' podcast.

Instead of dwelling on the failures, Buttler leaned into the break, using it as a way to switch off entirely after the semifinal on March 5.

"Obviously, the tournament didn't go personally how I'd have liked it to go. I just felt like I needed some space (away) from cricket and not to think about the game, and I could not have been further away from cricket where I was in that week," he said.

With the IPL set to begin on March 28, Buttler is now gradually returning to cricket, refreshed and more settled. Gujarat Titans, who lifted the title in 2022, will open their campaign on March 31 against Punjab Kings, marking the start of a new phase for the England batter.

"It was really refreshing, I really enjoyed it, a complete sort of release," he said.

"Slowly but surely, I'd say at the start of this week, (I am) just starting to reflect a bit and have a few thoughts about what's important to me and my cricket, and why it probably didn't go quite as I would've liked."

Despite the lack of runs, Buttler made it clear that effort wasn’t the issue. He had spent significant time working on his game, particularly in the lead-up to the semifinal, but things still didn’t click, reflected in another underwhelming outing where he scored 25 off 17 balls.

"There's elements (to what went wrong) that I actually don't really know exactly. For all your best intentions and hard work and efforts to perform, it just didn't work, and sometimes that's okay as well. That's something I've had to realise. It wasn't for a lack of effort; it just didn't quite happen,” he said.

GT Full IPL 2026 Schedule

Gujarat Titans Squad For IPL 2026

Shubman Gill (c), Anuj Rawat, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Ashok Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Prithvi Raj, Kagiso Rabada, Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Luke Wood, Jayant Yadav