Buttler, who turned 30 earlier this month, said it was fantastic to get their campaign off to a winning start. - Supplied photo
Dubai - The wicket-keeper batsman had missed Rajasthan Royals' opener against CSK
Published: Sun 27 Sep 2020, 5:48 PM
Jos Buttler is licking his lips at the prospect batting on the Sharjah strip and whipping up a sumptuous knock when the Rajasthan Royals face-off against Kings XI Punjab in the IPL on Sunday night.
The Englishman had missed their tournament opener against the Chennai Super Kings as he was serving the mandatory quarantine after arriving in Dubai with his family following the ODI series against Australia.
The team confirmed that the explosive opener, whose stint in the IPL hugely benefited England in the limited-over formats, is set to slot back into the line-up.
That only means that the Royals coach Andrew McDonald, who is also the assistant to Justin Langer in the Australian team, is left with a selection headache, even though Ben Stokes isn't there.
And that's because the young Sanju Samson played exceedingly well up top and also kept wickets.
So, it remains to be seen whether Samson or another exciting young gun Yashasvi Jaiswal, who failed in the opening game, will open with Buttler.
Despite the absence of the talismanic Stokes, who is still in New Zealand attending to his ill father, the Royals still have that aura about them, with the likes of captain Steve Smith, David Miller, Jofra Archer and Tom Curran in their squad.
With Buttler coming back, Miller is set to miss out.
After being in quarantine, Buttler is itching to get back into the thick of things.
"I am really excited to play my first game, it was great to be back in training with the boys, there's a great vibe around the team so I'm really looking forward to taking the field," said Buttler.
"I think we'll see another potentially high-scoring game at Sharjah with small boundaries and the dew factor coming in. Can't wait to get back out there," he added.
Buttler, who turned 30 earlier this month, said it was fantastic to get their campaign off to a winning start.
"Great to get a win on the board, the team played fantastically well in the first game. It was an outstanding batting performance and a fantastic bowling performance in tough bowling conditions," Buttler felt.
Having linked-up with the squad, Buttler said that it has been a vibrant atmosphere among the group. He also reckoned it will be a tight game against Kings XI Punjab.
"The atmosphere and energy around the squad is fantastic, obviously lots of confidence after that first game. The training has been very energetic, guys are lively and enjoying each other's company. So yeah good atmosphere around, expecting a really tough match against Kings XI," he said.
Buttler singled out Kings XI Punjab skipper and opener KL Rahul as the main man. The Bangalorean conjured an unbeaten hundred as they dismantled Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"Obviously a fantastic team, KL Rahul was in exceptional form the other night against RCB, so he will be a key wicket as always," said Buttler, who made 548 runs with five half-centuries in the 2018 season, his first season with the Royals.
The Royals and Kings XI Punjab have played each other 19 times with the former winning on 10 occasions.
james@khaleejtimes.com
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