Sanju Samson regrets RR letting go of Jos Buttler for IPL 2025

Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson has revealed that he would want to change one rule in the IPL and that would be releasing players. Samson disclosed that he shares a great bonhomie with Jos Buttler and regretted the franchise had to release him before the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Gujarat Titans were able to grab Buttler for a whopping amount of INR 15.75 crore in the auction whereas Rajasthan had bid for their former player until INR 9.75 crore.

Buttler has scored 3572 runs in 107 IPL matches at an average of 38.11 and a strike rate of 147.53.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Samson said, “Jos Buttler is one of my closest friends. We played together for seven years, forming a long batting partnership. We knew each other so well and always kept in touch. He was like an elder brother to me. When I became captain, he was my vice-captain and played a huge role in helping me lead the team. Letting him go has been one of the most challenging things for me.”

Samson revealed he told Buttler about his regret of letting him go during the five-match T20I series against England at home.

“Even during the England series, I told him over dinner that I was still not over it. If I could change one thing in the IPL, I would change the rule of releasing players. While it has its positives, on a personal level, you lose connections and relationships built over years.”

RR will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on 23rd March.

RR IPL 2025 Squad: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer (Rs. 12.50 crore), Maheesh Theekshana (Rs. 4.4 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (Rs. 5.25 crore), Akash Madhwal (Rs. 1.20 crore), Kumar Kartikeya (Rs. 30 lakh), Nitish Rana (Rs. 4.20 crore), Tushar Deshpande (Rs. 6.50 crore), Shubham Dubey (Rs. 80 lakh), Yudhvir Singh (Rs. 35 lakh), Fazalhaq Farooqi (Rs. 2 crore), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Rs. 1.10 crore), Kwena Maphaka (Rs. 1.50 crore), Kunal Rathore (Rs. 30 lakh), Ashok Sharma (Rs. 30 lakh).