‘Sit down’: Jos Buttler reveals why he batted at No.4 in IPL 2026 final

Jos Buttler of Gujarat Titans (ANI Photo) Gujarat Titans’ 2026 IPL final defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru featured several attention-grabbing moments, but one of the biggest talking points came early in their innings when youngster Nishant Sindhu was promoted ahead of Jose Buttler.Now the former England captain has revealed that the unexpected move was a tactical decision by Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra.The Titans entered the final hoping to win a second IPL title after defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. However, they ran into a dominant RCB side who had already beaten them in Qualifier 1 and once again found themselves runners-up on the biggest stage.Their trophy chase suffered an early setback when skipper Shubman Gill was dismissed for 10 in the third over. With Gujarat in need of stability, many expected Buttler to slot in at No. 3. Instead, Nishant Sindhu was sent to the crease in a move that surprised many observers.Buttler revealed on the For The Love of Cricket Podcast that he was preparing to bat before Nehra informed him of the change of plans.“When the first wicket fell, I got up to put on my helmet. But Ashish Nehra said, ‘Sit down, we’ll send Nishant at 3’. I asked him after the match and he just said it was reactive at that point and it was a good chance to get Nishant in because he’s the best batsman,” Buttler.The tactical challenge did not bring the desired result. Sai Sudharsan fell soon after, increasing the pressure on the batting unit, while Nishant scored 20 before being dismissed in the eighth over. By the time Buttler finally arrived at the crease, Gujarat were already struggling to gain momentum.The England batsman explained that the decision was partly influenced by Gujarat’s desire to give Nishant a bigger role after a season in which opportunities were often limited.“Sometimes he was on the slippery slope of where the team is going and ended up not batting or batting at seven. So it was a decision to get him in. In the next game against KKR, he was batting ahead of me. Right or wrong, it just didn’t work for us,” he added.With wickets falling around him, Buttler tried to lead the innings deep into the chase. However, he was unable to get the momentum Gujarat desperately needed, claiming 19 off 23 deliveries before being dismissed by Krunal Pandya.Looking back on his own contribution, Buttler admitted he was disappointed with how his innings had panned out.“When I batted, I wanted to take it deep because we lost a couple of wickets. I just never got a boundary and got bowled by some good bowling from a smart operator, Krunal Pandya. It’s disappointing when you go worse than run-a-ball in an IPL final. It’s not a great sight,” Buttler added.Gujarat eventually ended up on 155, a total that RCB never seriously threatened. The defending champions completed a comfortable chase to secure their second consecutive IPL title, while the Titans were left pondering the final where several key decisions, including the promotion of Nishant Sindhu, failed to yield the result they had hoped for.