Rajasthan Royals (RR) made mincemeat of an out-of-sorts SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Sunday’s IPL match, winning by a whopping 55 runs. Jos Buttler declared his return to form with a belligerent maiden T20 century as Rajasthan Royals (RR) made mincemeat of an out-of-sorts SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Buttler smashed a stunning 124 off 64 balls to start the innings, while Sanju Samson smashed 48 off 33 deliveries to help Rajasthan to a commanding 220 for three. And a change of captaincy couldn’t save SRH, who could only manage 165 for eight in their 20 overs.
With the ball, Chris Morris (3/29) and Mustafizur Rahman (3/20) did the bulk of the job, while Kartik Tyagi (1/32) and Rahul Twetia (1/45) each took a wicket.
RR climbed up to fifth place with the victory, while SRH remained at the bottom of the table, having only won one match all season.
SRH sped to 57 for no loss in the first six overs, looking for their second victory of the season. Bangladesh pacer Rahman, on the other hand, hit immediately after the first strategic time out, dismissing Manish Pandey (31). Jonny Bairstow (30) and Vijay Shankar (8) were fast to follow.
As the pressure mounted, Kane Williamson (20) tried for the big shot, only to be caught at deep midwicket by Morris off Tyagi as wickets fell at a steady rate.
In the 14th over, Mohammad Nabi (17 off 5) infused some hope into the SRH camp by smashing Tewatia for two sixes. After a brief appearance, the Afghan was back in the dugout.
The lower and middle order failed to make 91 runs in the last five overs. In the end, the top-heavy SRH lacked the firepower to complete the gigantic pursuit.
After the Royals lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (12) cheaply, Buttler and Samson stitched a 150-run partnership for the second wicket.
Samson also had four fours and two sixes to his name, in addition to the Englishman’s eight maximums.
Rashid Khan (1/24), Vijay Shankar (1/42), and Sandeep Sharma (1/50) each took one wicket for SRH.
When put into bat, RR got off to a slow start, scoring just five runs in the first two overs. Williamson added spin in the third over by getting in star bowler Rashid, who was looking for wickets early in the innings.
Before the Afghan revealed his class and caught the youngster leg, Jaiswal smashed three fours.
With a six over mid-wicket off pacer Khaleel Ahmed, RR skipper Samson declared his arrival. Manish Pandey dropped Samson on 23 in the 10th over, giving him a life.
In the Powerplay, Buttler, who looked in fine form, struck Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two boundaries in the sixth over as the Royals scored 42 runs for the loss of one wicket.
At the tiny Feroz Shah Kotla pitch, the duo proceeded to hit boundaries at regular intervals, collecting 18 runs in the seventh over, including two sixes, off all-rounder Vijay Shankar.
Buttler and Samson upped the ante in the 13th over, plundering 17 runs after surviving Rashid’s four overs. Before lofting one over extra-cover for the boundary, the Englishman muscled a six over wide long on.
Williamson turned to Mohammad Nabi, who was playing his second game of the season, with both bowlers leaking runs, but Buttler hammered the off-spinner for two sixes and as many fours.
With young Riyan Parag (15 not out) coming in, Vijay Shankar managed to get rid of Samson in the 17th over.
Buttler, who was in full charge, could not be stopped as he managed to strike boundaries at will.
Sandeep Sharma’s innings came to an end in the penultimate over, but he had already inflicted the requisite damage. In the field, the SRH were sloppy, losing catches and skipping run ins.