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Gujarat Titans’ loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL 2026 final featured several eye-catching moments, but the biggest talking point came early in their innings when youngster Nishant Sindhu was sent on. Jose Butler.Now the former England captain has revealed that the unexpected move was a tactical decision taken by the Gujarat Titans head coach. Ashish Nehra.The Titans entered the final with hopes of claiming a second IPL title after defeating Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2. However, they ran into a dominant RCB side who had already beaten them in Qualifier 1 and once again found themselves second best on the biggest stage.Their pursuit of the trophy suffered an early setback when the skipper Shabman Gul He was dismissed for 10 runs in the third over. With Gujarat needing stability, many expected Buttler to go for the no. 3. Instead Nishant Sindhu was sent to the crease in a move that surprised many observers.Speaking on the For the Love of Cricket podcast, Buttler revealed that he was preparing to bat before Nehra informed him of the change in plans.“When the first wicket fell, I got up to put on my helmet. But Ashish Nehra said, ‘You sit down, we’re going to send Nishant at 3’. I asked him after the game, and he just said that it felt like a reaction at the time, and it was a good opportunity to bring Nishant into the game because he’s a top-order batsman,” Lakin said.The tactical call did not yield the desired result. Sai Sudharsan fell early, putting more pressure on the batting unit, while Nishant scored 20 runs before being dismissed in the eighth over. By the time Buttler finally arrived at the crease, Gujarat were already struggling to build momentum.The England batsman explained that the decision was partly motivated by Gujarat’s desire to give Nishant a bigger role after a season in which opportunities were often limited.“He is sometimes on that slippery slope where the team is going, and he hasn’t batted or batted at 7. So the decision was made to bring him in. He batted ahead of me in another match against KKR. Right or wrong, it didn’t work for us,” he added.With wickets falling around him, Buttler looked to take the innings deep in the chase. However, he failed to generate the momentum that Gujarat desperately needed, before being dismissed for 19 off 23 balls. Krunal Pandya.Looking back on his own contribution, Buttler admitted that he was disappointed with the way his innings started.Buttler added, “When I batted, I wanted to take it deep because we lost a few wickets. I never hit a boundary and was bowled well by a smart operator, Krunal Pandya. It’s disappointing when you get worse than a run-a-ball in an IPL final. It’s not a great look.”Gujarat eventually ended up on 155, a figure RCB never seriously threatened. The defending champions completed a comfortable chase to clinch a second consecutive IPL title, while the Titans were left to reflect on a final where several key decisions, including Nishant Sindhu’s promotion, failed to produce the results they had hoped for.
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