Gujarat Titans’ batter Jos Buttler scored a slow 38 off 33 balls in the IPL 2026 opener against Punjab Kings, continuing his poor form from the T20 World Cup. This struggling innings has sparked widespread debate on social media, with fans and cricket enthusiasts questioning his future as a T20 finisher for the team.
Gujarat Titans’ batter Jos Buttler has struggled to get going in the IPL 2026 clash against the Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, on Tuesday, March 31.
After being put into bat first by PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, the Gujarat Titans posted a respectable total of 162/6 in 20 overs. Captain Shubman Gill led the batting with a knock of 39 off 27 balls. Jos Buttler contributed with an innings of 38 off 33, while Glenn Phillips scored 25 off 17 balls to guide the visitors to a competitive total.
For Punjab Kings, Vijaykumar Vyshak led the bowling attack with figures of 3/34 at an economy rate of 8.5 in his spell of four overs. The veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked two crucial wickets of Gill and Buttler to register figures of 2/28 at an economy rate of 7 in his full quota of four overs.
Also Read: Jos Buttler’s T20 World Cup Slump Raises Concerns for Gujarat Titans Ahead of IPL 2026
Jos Butter’s Slow Knock on IPL Return
Jos Buttler’s form was under scrutiny heading into the Gujarat Titans’ opening match against the Punjab Kings, given his poor outing in the T20 World Cup 2026. The 35-year-old aggregated just 87 runs at an average of 10.87 and a strike rate of 116.00 in 8 matches, raising a serious concern about his form in T20 cricket.
England wicketkeeper-batter’s struggled continued in the GT’s opening IPL 2026 against PBKS, where he managed to score just 38 off 33 balls. His struggling stay at the crease can be divided into two halves. In the first half, after joining Shubman Gill at the crease following Sai Sudharsan’s dismissal at 37/1, Jos Butter scored just 18 runs off 17 balls at a strike rate of 105.88.
Butter struggled with the timing against Marco Jansen’s yorkers and tight lines in the powerplay. In the second half, Jos Buttler was expected to accelerate the innings, but he failed to do so, adding only 20 runs off 16 balls at a strike rate of 125.00.
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When Jos Buttler was looking to accelerate the innings, he struggled to find gaps and rotate the strike until he was caught out by Xavier Bartlett off Yuzvendra Chahal’s delivery, leaving Gujarat Titans with a slower-than-expected total despite his presence at the crease.
In the last 15 T20 innings, Buttler has aggregated only 232 runs at an average of 15.46 and a strike rate of 115.42, highlighting the former England captain’s ongoing struggles with consistency and inability to accelerate when needed, raising questions about his future role as a finisher in the Gujarat Titans’ T20 setup.
‘Is Jos Buttler Finished?’
Jos Buttler’s slow knock in the IPL 2026 match against Punjab Kings and his struggling form have sparked debate on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), where fans and cricket enthusiasts questioned his ability to finish matches for the Gujarat Titans.
Taking to their X handles, fans and cricket enthusiasts slammed Butter’s innings, calling him ‘severely out of touch’ and beyond finished,’ while some nostalgically praised his past exploits as one of the greatest white-ball batters. Others questioned the GT’s reliance on the veteran England batter, suggesting the franchise might need to consider other finishing options.
A few have called his innings “stat-padding,” criticized his strike rate, and questioned if GT can still rely on Buttler as a T20 finisher.
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Jos Buttler joined the Gujarat Titans in 2025 after he was released by the Rajasthan Royals and amassed 576 runs, including 5 fifties, at an average of 57.60 in 15 matches. In his IPL career, Buttler has amassed 4158 runs, including 7 centuries and 24 fifties, at an average of 39.98 and a strike rate of 148.77 in 122 matches.
In his T20 career, Jos Butterl has amassed 13845 runs, including 8 centuries and 98 fifties, at an average of 34.96 and a strike rate of 146.16 in 493 matches.
Also Read: IPL 2026: Jos Buttler backs ‘brilliant’ Glenn Phillips to shine for GT