"You didn't keep me and kept Hetmyer" - Aakash Chopra on Jos Buttler's thought process ahead of GT's IPL 2025 clash vs RR

Former India player Aakash Chopra has noted that the Gujarat Titans' (GT) top order has fared very well in IPL 2025 thus far. He opined that Jos Buttler will be extremely eager to show his worth to the Rajasthan Royals (RR), his former side, when the two teams meet for the second time this season.

GT will lock horns with RR in Match 47 of IPL 2025 in Jaipur on Monday, April 28. With 12 points from eight games, the visitors are placed second on the points table, and a win in Monday's game will help them regain the top spot.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener reckoned that Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler will be keen to be among the runs in GT's IPL 2025 clash against RR for different reasons.

"The top three are playing extremely well. Sai Sudharsan no longer has the Orange Cap on his head. So he will have another motivation to get it back. Shubman Gill also wants to score a heap of runs. He scored runs in the last match as well. He has been scoring a lot of runs, but is slightly behind in the Orange Cap race," Chopra said (14:15).

"It will be slightly personal for Jos Buttler, that you didn't keep me and kept (Shimron) Hetmyer. Rajasthan guys, just think about it. It is a homecoming of sorts for him. Rahul Tewatia's Tewatia-like knocks haven't come, but it hasn't made a difference," he added.

Sai Sudharsan, who has amassed 417 runs at a strike rate of 152.18 in eight innings in IPL 2025, has slipped to third spot in the Orange Cap race, with Virat Kohli (443) and Suryakumar Yadav (427) jumping ahead of him. Jos Buttler (356) and Shubman Gill (305) are the other GT batters to aggregate more than 300 runs this season.

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"Gujarat know that they haven't qualified yet" - Aakash Chopra on GT ahead of IPL 2025 clash vs RR

The Gujarat Titans have won six of their last seven games in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that the Gujarat Titans would be aware that they have not yet sealed a playoff berth in IPL 2025.

"Gujarat know that they haven't qualified yet. They are on the verge of qualification but haven't grabbed that spot yet, and it happens many times in the IPL that you feel you are very close, but you don't get those things," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Shubman Gill and company would want to make the most of their clash against an underperforming Rajasthan Royals, picking the visitors as the favorites for Monday's game.

"So it's important that when you play against a team that's below you, and especially close to the bottom of the table, seize that opportunity because you might not get those opportunities repeatedly. If they play to their potential, there is no doubt in my mind that the scales are tilted towards the Gujarat Titans," Chopra observed.

The Gujarat Titans beat the Rajasthan Royals by 58 runs in the reverse fixture in Ahmedabad on April 9. Sai Sudharsan (82 off 53), who was chosen as the Player of the Match, and Jos Buttler (36 off 25) added 80 runs for the second wicket in that game after Shubman Gill had been bowled by Jofra Archer for a three-ball two.