Rajasthan Royals’ English recruit Jos Buttler believes the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the inspiration behind emergence of wicketkeeper-captains in the IPL.

In the ongoing IPL, four out of eight franchises are being captained by wicket-keepers and Buttler feels the credit should go to Dhoni for setting the trend.

Besides Dhoni, who has been Chennai Super Kings’ skipper since the inaugural edition in 2008, three more glovesmen — KL Rahul (Punjab Kings), Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals) and Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) — are leading their respective sides in IPL XIV.. “I am sure MSD (Dhoni) has something to do with the sixth sense and breeding of wicketkeepers who can captain. He obviously has been a fantastic captain and there are a lot of players who want to follow his footsteps. He is the one who set the trend,” Buttler said.

Buttler himself a wicketkeeper, feels stumpers enjoy an advantage as captains as they get a 360 degree view of the proceedings. “I think a wicketkeeper has a brilliant view of the game. That can add to your decision making as you can see first-hand how the wicket is behaving and the way bowlers are bowling.”

The 30-year-old Englishman expects Samson to deliver the goods as captain and termed compatriot Ben Stokes as the X-factor for Rajasthan Royals. “We have a lot of variety this season with some world-class all rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Morris and a new captain. Sanju (Samson) is a very exciting player and has a long affiliation with the franchise. He is a very calm person and likes to have fun. I am sure he would try and get across that to the team. There will be a lot of passion in his leadership.

“I strongly believe Ben Stokes will be the X-factor for our team in this season,” said Buttler, who has played 50 Tests, 148 ODIs and 79 T20 matches for England.

The presence a legend like Kumar Sangakkara as the team’s director of cricket will be beneficial, said the cricketer. “He (Sangakkara) is a legend and has so much knowledge to share. He has vast experience of international cricket and has played the IPL too. He knows what to expect and it’s a big plus for everyone to have him around,” said Buttler.

Buttler, who captained England in the final two ODIs of the three-match series in India recently in the absence of an injured regular skipper Eoin Morgan, said that outing was a valuable learning experience for him.

“Playing against India in India is always the biggest challenge for England. I mean playing against the best players and getting used to the conditions. Playing against some young Indian players was a great experience. I have enjoyed playing and captaining against India. I have learnt a lot about myself from that experience,” he said.

Ever since international cricket resumed, players have been forced to stay in bio-bubbles to avoid contracting the deadly Covid-19, making it extremely difficult for them to stay fresh and motivated.

“Playing without fans and living continuously in bio-bubbles are difficult. You have to learn to live without the energy that the crowd brings to the stadiums in IPL.”