IPL 2021’s second phase will begin on September 19. However, the things do not look good for Rajasthan Royals. They will probably have to hunt for Jos Buttler’s replacement before the season resumes. The reason behind it is the player’s possible unavailability for the remaining matches. The English wicket-keeper batsman is likely to skip the second phase of IPL 2021 because he and his wife are expecting a baby in September.
Even Australia’s pace bowler Pat Cummins will miss Phase 2 of IPL 2021 due to the same reason. Cummins and his wife are expecting a baby. Hence, Cummins won’t play for Kolkata Knight Riders. Shifting our focus back to Rajasthan, the Royals will likely miss Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer as well. Thus, they will need a solid batsman as Jos Buttler’s replacement. Here are the five players they can sign.
1. Devon Conway can be Jos Buttler’s replacement
Devon Conway is a South Africa-born batsman who plays for New Zealand. He is a left-handed batsman. Like Jos Buttler, Conway can open the innings. The 30-year-old was a part of the Blackcaps squad that won the ICC World Test Championship. Conway has represented New Zealand in all three formats.
Speaking of his numbers in the shortest format of the game, Conway has amassed 473 runs in 11 T20I innings. His batting average is 59.12. Meanwhile, his highest score has been 99*. Conway has hit 49 fours and 16 sixes in T20Is, suggesting that he can be a valuable asset for any franchise. RR could sign him as Jos Buttler’s replacement.
2. Alex Hales
English batsman Alex Hales surprisingly went unsold at IPL Auction 2021. The right-handed batsman had been brilliant in the Big Bash League. Also, his base price was INR 1.5 crore. Still, no franchise bid for him. Perhaps, the Rajasthan Royals can sign him as Jos Buttler’s replacement now.
Hales has played for multiple franchises in the IPL before. He has been a part of the Mumbai Indians and the SunRisers Hyderabad. Currently, Hales is playing in Men’s Hundred 2021. He is a member of the Trent Rockets squad. Hales played a decent knock of 40 runs against the Superchargers in the competition.
3. Shaun Marsh
Perhaps, an unpopular pick but Shaun Marsh could be a fantastic option as Jos Buttler’s replacement. Marsh was the first batsman to win the IPL Orange Cap. He knows the Indian pitches well. For a long time, he was the backbone of the Punjab Kings team. However, Marsh has gone unsold in the previous few auctions.
This year, Shaun entered the auction with a base price of 1.5 crore. No franchise raised the peddle for him. But Marsh could return as Jos Buttler’s replacement. He has played 197 T20 matches in his career, scoring 6,436 runs. He has scored two hundreds and 50 fifties in the T20 format.
4. Evin Lewis can be Jos Buttler’s replacement
Jos Buttler is an explosive opening batsman. Perhaps, the Rajasthan Royals would want an explosive batsman as his replacement. Talking about explosive batsmen, one of the names that comes to the mind is Evin Lewis. He is a left-handed batsman from the West Indies. He has played for the Mumbai Indians before.
Lewis is a specialist of the shorter formats. Recently, he destroyed the Australian bowling attack in the T20I series. Shedding light on his numbers in T20 cricket, Lewis has scored 4,836 runs in 167 innings. His batting average has been 30.80. At the same time, his strike rate in this format is 143.84.
5. Marnus Labuschagne
A wildcard pick as Jos Buttler’s replacement could be Marnus Labuschagne. He is a South Africa-born cricketer who plays for Australia. Labuschagne was in top form during the ICC World Test Championship. He performed well in the Big Bash League as well. However, the IPL franchises did not show any interest in him.
Buttler batted in the middle-order of RR in some matches. If the Royals wish to have a middle-order batsman as his replacement, Labuschagne can be a decent choice. The Aussie player has scored 663 runs in 24 T20 matches. His highest score has been 93*. Besides, he has also taken 20 wickets with his leg-breaks.
