IPL 2022 Auction: Rajasthan Royals Reveals Jos Buttler’s Reaction Being Told That They Will Bid On Ravichandran Ashwin

Rajasthan Royals (RR) successfully bid on ace Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on the ongoing (Indian Premier League) IPL 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12, 2022. They have also revealed how their retained player Jos Buttler reacted to the news of them bidding on Ashwin.

For those who may have forgotten, during the IPL 2019, when Ravichandran Ashwin captained the then Kings XI Punjab, in a match against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur, the off-spinner had run out or mankaded Jos Buttler, after the England batter had left his crease at the non-striker end while Ashwin was in midst of bowling a ball.

This led to one of the most overblown controversies in the world of cricket with many criticizing Ashwin for how he ran out Buttler, calling it a gross display of a lack of playing spirit. On the other hand, many cricketers and pundits said that Ashwin was right in how he first warned Buttler not to leave the crease and then when the England batter didn’t comply, ran him out.

‘It’s Absolutely Fine’- Jos Buttler On Being Told That Rajasthan Royals Will Bid For Ravichandran Ashwin

RR made a successful bid of Rs 5 crores to secure the services of Ashwin on day one of the IPL 2022 auction and he will now team up with Buttler, who was retained along with Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal by the inaugural edition champions.

Rajasthan Royals CEO Jake Lush McCrum said they spoke to Buttler about their preferences and revealed how the Englishman reacted to the news.

“We spoke to Jos prior to the auction and just talked through all of our prioritization of players. Honestly, he didn’t even think about it (his run out by Ashwin at the non-striker’s end in 2019). I had to sort of bring it up to just check it was okay. And he said ‘it’s absolutely fine’. Maybe he will have to practice in the nets with him. But otherwise on the field, they’re looking forward to playing together,” Jake said at a media interaction here.

RR has also acquired West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult and promising India batter Devdutt Padikkal.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Mega Auction: Extremely Happy To Be Part Of Lucknow Super Giants, Says Jason Holder