FLOAT LIKE A BUTTLERFLY

Opener Jos smashes ton to help Rajasthan thrash Hyderabad by 55 runs

Jos Buttler announced his return to form with a belligerent maiden T20 hundred as Rajasthan Royals (RR) made mincemeat of an out-of-sorts Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), winning Sunday’s IPL encounter here by 55 runs.

Batting first, opener Buttler smashed a breathtaking 124 off 64 balls while skipper Sanju Samson was effective in his 48 off 33 deliveries. The duo powered Rajasthan to a commanding 220 for three. Even a change in captaincy couldn’t bring in luck for Hyderabad as it could manage only 165 for eight during the chase.

Chris Morris (3 for 29) and Mustafizur Rahman (3 for 20) did bulk of the work with the ball for RR while Kartik Tyagi (1 for 32) and Rahul Tewatia (1 for 45) picked a wicket apiece. Looking to register its second win, SRH raced to 57 for no loss in the first six overs.

However, pacer Mustafizur struck right after the first strategic time-out, getting rid of Manish Pandey (31). Jonny Bairstow (30) and Vijay Shankar (8) soon followed. With pressure mounting, skipper Kane Williamson (20) went for a big shot only to be caught at deep mid-wicket by Morris off Tyagi.

Mohammad Nabi (17 off 5) injected some hope in the SRH camp as he smashed Tewatia for two sixes in the 14th over. But, the Afghan was back in the dug-out after a quick cameo. With 91 needed in the last five overs, the lower middle-order struggled.

Earlier, put in to bat, Buttler and Samson stitched a 150-run partnership for the second wicket after Royals lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (12) cheaply. While Buttler hit 11 fours apart from eight maximums, Samson had four fours and two sixes to his credit. Samson, who was dropped on 23 by Manish in the 10th over, smashed a six over mid-wicket off pacer Khaleel Ahmed.

At the other end, Buttler hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two boundaries in the sixth over as Royals amassed 42 for one in the powerplay.

The duo continued to hit boundaries at regular intervals at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, collecting 18 runs, which included two sixes, off Vijay Shankar in the seventh over. Having successfully navigated Rashid Khan’s four overs, Buttler and Samson upped the ante in the 13th over, plundering 17 runs.

The Englishman muscled a six over wide long on before lofting one over extra-cover for a boundary. With all bowlers leaking runs, Williamson turned to Nabi but Buttler hammered the off-spinner for two sixes and as many fours.

Vijay Shankar managed to get rid of Samson in the 17th over with Riyan Parag (15 not out) walking in. But, there was no stopping Buttler as he continued to hit boundaries. Sandeep eventually brought his innings to an end in the penultimate over but he had inflicted the damage by then.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 220/3 in 20 overs (J Buttler 124, S Samson 48) beat Sunrisers Hyderabad 165/8 in 20 overs (Mustafizur 3/20, C Morris 3/29)

I really enjoyed the innings. It was great to spend some time in the middle and have fun. I didn’t find it easy at the start. I just got better as the innings went on Jos Buttler, Man of the match