IPL 2023: Team-wise opening combination for 16th edition
With the IPL only a few months away, franchises are trying to zero in on their ideal opening combination.
8. Rajasthan Royals - Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Rajasthan Royals started and ended their season with the opening combo of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but in between, it was Devdutt Padikkal who opened with England's white-ball skipper. That happened because Jaiswal was dropped just after three games into the season and returned later in the tournament.
This time around, the same won’t happen because the Mumbai batter is in pristine touch. Even on his return to the XI in the 2022 season, he scored 233 runs in 7 games at an average of 33 and smashed two half-centuries. He has also piled on runs in domestic cricket for fun and now has a higher reputation than Padikkal.
He will be partnering one of the world’s most destructive T20 batters in Jos Buttler, who had a record-breaking outing last season when he scored 863 runs, including four centuries and four half-centuries. As a pair, they averaged only 26, but expect that to change given they complement each other, and have been in great form for a while.
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