Published 17:09 IST, May 23rd 2020
Jos Buttler says IPL is the world's best tournament after the quadrennial event
Star English middle-order batsman and 2019 World Cup winner Jos Buttler said that IPL is the world's best tournament after the World Cup itself
Jos Buttler has been one of England's biggest match-winners from the last few years. He is known for adding stability to the English team's middle-order. Buttler rose to the occasion when England looked down and out at 86/4 in the World Cup final against New Zealand while chasing 242 where he added 110 runs with Ben Stokes for the fifth wicket stand which was instrumental in England winning their maiden World Cup trophy. The Englishman is also known as a handy batsman in IPL and has recently made a huge statement about the cash-rich tournament.
'Best tournament in the world': Jos Buttler
During a recent interview with BBC Podcast ‘The Doosra’, Buttler went on to say there is no doubt that the IPL has helped English cricket grow and the numbers of players who were involved in the last few years. He also mentioned that it was something he was desperate to play and for him, it is the best tournament in the world, taking out the World Cups. The 2019 World Cup winner also added some of the matchups that one gets to see in the IPL are great and then justified the same by saying that Bangalore has been amongst the top three teams with Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle coming up and competing against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Dale Steyn or Lasith Malinga.
At the same time, the star cricketer also hailed former skipper English skipper Kevin Pietersen for playing a huge role that opened up the floodgates for England players in playing IPL. Heaping praise on Pietersen, Buttler mentioned that KP really paved the way for a lot of them to go and now play in the IPL with more blessing from English cricket.
Furthermore, he added that the cricketer-turned-commentator/analyst is a pioneer in building the steps in place to realize just how important the IPL is for developing cricketers.
Jos Buttler was a part of Mumbai Indian's triumphant squad in 2017. In 2018, he was brought by the inaugural edition winners Rajasthan Royals. He was retained by RR for the 2020 edition as well which was originally scheduled to get underway on March 29 but has now been suspended indefinitely due to the global pandemic.
Updated 17:09 IST, May 23rd 2020