06 April,2022 06:54 AM IST | Mumbai | Harit Joshi
Jos Buttler during his unbeaten 70 yesterday. Pic/BCCI; IPL
Centurion in the last match against Mumbai Indians, Englishman Jos Buttler continued in similar vein to smash an unbeaten 47-ball 70 which helped Rajasthan Royals post 169-3 against Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Buttler, who hit six sixes during his knock, made the most of the two lives. Giving him company was West Indian Shimron Hetmyer, who scored a 31-ball 42 not out on a surface where shot-making was a bit tricky.
At the time of going to press, RCB were 62-4 after 8.5 overs.
Earlier, RR had a subdued start, scoring just 35 in the Powerplay overs and losing the wicket of out-of-form opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) in the second over.
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Buttler struggled to time the ball well initially, but luck was in his favour; dropped twice in one over. First, pacer Akash Deep put down a straight forward caught and bowled chance in the seventh over. Two balls later, David Willey dropped a difficult catch at deep square leg when the Buttler was on 11.
Though runs did not come fluently off his willow, Buttler managed to hold one end and allow his partner Devdutt Padikkal to go big.
The southpaw was finally finding his lost touch against his former team. He tried upping the scoring rate as RR garnered 38 runs in the three overs after the Powerplay. However, the momentum suddenly shifted after Padikkal's 29-ball 37 stay ended when Virat Kohli took a terrific catch by leaping backwards. The umpires wanted to check the validity of the catch, but Kohli looked in total control of it.
RR skipper Sanju Samson, who hit a straight six off the second ball he faced, was deceived by Wanindu Hasaranga to be dismissed, caught and bowled for eight.
Hetmyer managed to get the odd four and six, but RCB bowlers maintained discipline and ensured there were no easy runs. From Over No.10 to 17, RR managed just 45 runs.
Buttler finally got going in the penultimate over, smashing two consecutive sixes off Mohammed Siraj to water down all his good work in the first two overs in which he conceded just 13 runs. Nineteen runs were scored off Siraj's final over. A juicy full toss was treated with disdain by Buttler - over extra cover for a six - to bring up his half century. Buttler smashed two more sixes in the final over from Deep while Hetmyer ended the innings with a six.
