IPL: Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer prove form is temporary, class is permanent
Sky Sports News presenter Matt Kabir Floyd assesses how Jos Buttler is underscoring his credentials as England's greatest white-ball player in the IPL, and how Jofra Archer has finally found his groove; watch all 74 matches of the 2025 IPL live on Sky Sports
Saturday 5 April 2025 09:59, UK
The IPL rolls on and it's been a good week for two of England's finest.
Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer have, in different ways, suffered some very tough times of late, but did we ever really doubt them?
Over the last few months leading the flagging England white-ball teams, Buttler looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. The captaincy had seemed to sap not just his energy but his care-free approach to cricket.
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But the IPL is a tournament he's always thrived in and the early signs are good for England fans - he looks close to being back to his best.
Two fifties in his first three innings have helped his new side Gujarat be one of the early pacesetters and it was his match-winning knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore that was the most heartening.
He could have been affected after dropping an absolute sitter to let his international team-mate Phil Salt off the hook, but instead he used it as fuel to batter the RCB bowlers into submission with an unbeaten 73 off 39 balls.
It was a timely reminder that, regardless of his perceived faults as a captain, Buttler is the greatest white-ball player England have ever produced.
Meanwhile, Jofra Archer came into the tournament in decent form despite being part of a terrible Champions Trophy for England.
Returning to Rajasthan to great fanfare, there were high hopes he could once again dominate the IPL, but the first two games couldn't really have gone any worse for him.
After the shock of being taken for the most expensive figures ever bowled in the competition, he was then smacked all over the park in his second game as well.
Some people were starting to question if he could ever get back to the Archer of old. Then he produced a lightning quick three-over spell in Guwahati that will give some of the Chennai Super Kings' top order nightmares for days to come.
It helped the Royals edge the Super Kings in a really tight game and his pumped-up celebration when he got Rachin Ravindra showed just how much he wanted to change the narrative - hopefully it will give him the confidence he needs to kick on for the rest of the tournament.
Death-bowling tactics on the rise?
Most of the talk in the IPL over the last few years has been on how batting has continuously improved and reached new heights. You started to wonder when the bowlers might come up with something to turn this around and Lucknow Super Giants may well have found the answer.
Facing the most dangerous batting unit in franchise cricket, they went straight to a death-bowling tactic. We saw more yorkers and slower balls than you would ever usually see in the first 10 overs of an innings - and it worked.
The Sunrisers were shackled and that enabled Lucknow to chase down an average target with complete ease. Delhi saw this and then beat Hyderabad with similar tactics in their next game.
Keep an eye out for more teams going to their death-bowling tactics in the Power Play - it could be one of the trends of the season.
As a result, the Sunrisers batters have suddenly lost confidence and look mortal after all. All of a sudden, questions are being asked over whether they are too aggressive and need to play the situation better. Bazballers around the world will know the feeling!
Overall, it's not been a vintage start to an IPL season as although we've seen some high scores, there haven't been many close matches. However, we've still seen some high-quality cricket and the atmosphere in the stadiums has been as incredible as ever.
That's the thing that sets the IPL apart - the world's best cricketers are there, the whole country is obsessed with the tournament and the organisers know exactly how to market it and make it an all-singing, all-dancing entertainment product. The rest can only watch and learn.
Watch all 74 matches from the 2025 IPL live on Sky Sports Cricket. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
