IPL 2026: ‘I trust my game’ – Jos Buttler backs himself to regain form for GT

Jos Buttler has endured a forgettable start to 2026, struggling to find form during the T20 World Cup where he failed to score fluently. Now representing Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League 2026, the England wicketkeeper-batter has managed modest scores of 38 against Punjab Kings and 26 against Rajasthan Royals.

Despite the lean patch, Buttler remains optimistic about rediscovering his rhythm. The right-handed batter stated that he is backing his game and experience to turn things around and deliver impactful performances. He is determined to make a match-winning contribution for GT, who are still searching for their first victory of the season.

“I feel good actually. Feel good with the break after the [T20] World Cup, just get to put the bat down and have some space. Basically, just focusing on myself, and on my set-up and making sure when the ball is released I am in a good position – which I do,” said Buttler on For the Love of Cricket podcast.

“And then just trusting my game, trusting my experience, and trying to let it happen. I’ve got in some good positions, like getting in with a couple of starts. You always want to go on and make those match-winning contributions, but it’s nice to be feeling calm in the middle and in a good space. Hopefully that can keep that going,” he added.

B Sai Sudharsan, teammate of Buttler at GT, said on Tuesday that the wicketkeeper-batter looks closer than anyone else to producing a big innings. Meanwhile, Buttler himself remains focused on staying in the present and trusting his process.

“Every day you start on nought and that’s kind of where I’ve been looking at. Just looking forward, not thinking of the past, looking forward to the games, and just trying to be measured and not reading too much into past successes or past failures,” said Buttler.

“Sometimes you can – and I have certainly done it at times – get sort of a mental block against a certain bowler or a certain venue, and say ‘this doesn’t work for me, this ground.’ Or ‘why can’t I score runs at any ground’ or that kind of mentality. I’m trying to be really distant from that,” he added.

Buttler also said he has been enjoying his time working with GT’s new batting coach Matthew Hayden. For GT, Buttler has scored 602 runs in 15 innings, including five half-centuries. GT’s next fixture is against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday. Buttler is expected to slot in at No. 3, behind Sudharsan and Shubman Gill in the batting order.

“It’s been great to lean into his experiences. He’s a big man, you can just imagine his presence when he was batting, but when he’s speaking one-to-one, that aura is quite good. Getting to experience that has been cool. We’ve been talking about really simple things,” said Buttler.