IPL 2022 Auction: Jos Buttler reacts to Ravichandran Ashwin's cheeky comment

Rajasthan Royals (RR)'s Jos Buttler welcomed Ravichandran Ashwin to the franchise on Saturday with an amusing response to the latter's cheeky message.

RR signed Ashwin for Rs 5 crore on Day 1 of the IPL 2022 auction. That prompted talks about an uneasy union of the duo after the controversial 'Mankading' incident of 2019. In a video message after his signing, Ashwin remarked that, among other things, he was especially looking forward to sharing the dressing room with Buttler.

In response, the Englishman also put up a brief video message via RR's social media pages. He assured Ashwin that he is 'inside the crease', adding that he, too, is raring to share the Royals' pink with him. Buttler said:

"Hey Ash, Jos here. Don't worry, I am inside the crease. Can't wait to see you in pink for the Royals. Look forward to sharing a dressing room with you. Halla Bol."

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In the 2019 IPL, Ashwin, who was the then Kings XI Punjab captain, ran Buttler out at the non-striker's end before delivering the ball. The latter was leading RR in what looked like a comfortable chase, but Buttler's wicket turned the match on its head as RR lost by 14 runs.

The dismissal, known as 'Mankading', divided the cricket fraternity. The two players were even involved in a heated exchange on the field, and staunchly defended their stands in ensuing interviews and media interactions.

Jos Buttler 'absolutely fine' with Rajasthan Royals' signing Ravichandran Ashwin - RR CEO

During a media interaction on Saturday, RR CEO Jake Lush McCrum revealed that the team checked with Buttler before going for Ashwin. He said the wicketkeeper-batter had no qualms with it, and said 'it's absolutely fine'.

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McCrum said:

"We spoke to Jos prior to the auction, and just talked through all of our prioritisation of players. Honestly, he didn't even think about it (the incident). I had to sort of bring it up to just check it was okay. And he said 'it's absolutely fine'."

RR signed eight new players on Saturday - Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shimron Hetmyer, KC Cariappa, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Riyan Parag and Devdutt Padikkal. They have got 11 players in total so far, and have Rs 12.15 crore left in their purse.