"Someone needs to be accountable" - IPL winning captain blasts RR for releasing Jos Buttler after IPL 2025 exit

Former Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist slammed the Rajasthan Royals (RR) think-tank for making the grave error regarding Jos Buttler's release ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. The former England captain was let go by the franchise after a successful six-year stint, where he established himself as one of the best T20 batters in the world.

Buttler was in demand during the mega auction, eventually going to the Gujarat Titans (GT) for INR 15.75 crore. The wicket-keeper batter has had to play a different role at No.3 for his new franchise, but he has settled in well so far, scoring 406 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of 168.46.

RR, on the other hand, have struggled with their all-Indian batting line-up in IPL 2025. Sanju Samson has been ruled out due to injury for most of the season, while Riyan Parag could not repeat his exploits from the previous season. The lower middle-order pair of Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer, retained for a combined INR 25 crore, have also been far from their best.

Gilchrist noted that RR must have internally discussed the decision to release Jos Buttler, and felt someone had to take responsibility for the contentious decision.

"We heard Mike Hussey admit that they (CSK) got it wrong at the auction, and they are out. Someone needs to be accountable for what happened with the decision on Jos Buttler. RR have got it wrong, and they find themselves eliminated as well. So, there has got to be some accountability. I would have thought certainly, internally, they have got to be asking questions. That was a monumental mistake," Gilchrist said on Cricbuzz (2:03).

RR's quest for the playoffs came to a brutal end following a 100-run loss to the high-flying Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Thursday, May 1.

"Letting him go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me" - RR captain Sanju Samson on Jos Buttler's release ahead of IPL 2025

RR, much like the majority of the franchises, had a serious conundrum regarding their retention list. Ultimately, they decided to retain the maximum quota of six players in the form of Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Sandeep Sharma, and Shimron Hetmyer.

The retentions cost RR an astonishing INR 79 crore, leaving them with only INR 41 crore to build the remainder of their squad. The inaugural winners headed into the auction with the lowest purse,

"Letting him go has been one of the most challenging decisions for me. 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 every three years," RR captain Samson told Jio Hotstar before the season began (via ESPN Cricinfo).

RR face the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) next at the Eden Gardens on Sunday, May 4.