TATA Indian Premier League 2024 : In Jaipur, Jos Buttler (100* off 58) and Sanju Samson (69 off 42) delivered impressive performances, setting the stage ablaze as Rajasthan Royals (RR) secured their fourth consecutive victory by defeating Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Buttler and Samson joined forces to assist RR in bouncing back from the initial departure of Yashasvi Jaiswal, as they displayed an array of exquisite shots to lead the home team to a victorious six-wicket triumph with a remarkable 148-run partnership. On the occasion of his 100th IPL match, Buttler made it even more memorable by scoring a century and concluding the match in grand fashion with a six.
In the previous match, RCB successfully scored 183/3 with the help of Virat Kohli’s brilliant 8th century in the IPL. Kohli displayed his exceptional skills in elegance, timing and placement as he scored 113 runs in just 72 balls. He also formed a strong partnership of 125 runs with Faf du Plessis (44 off 33) for the first wicket, contributing to the team’s competitive total.
In pursuit of 184 runs, Rajasthan Royals were dealt a blow in the beginning when Reece Topley took a wicket off the second ball, sending Yashasvi Jaiswal back to the pavilion. Skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler then formed a partnership, balancing prudence and aggression to stabilize the innings. Buttler’s aggression was evident in the last over of the Powerplay, where he hit four consecutive boundaries, including a six, off Mayank Dagar, helping RR reach 54/1 after six overs.
Buttler and Samson continued to maintain a run rate of 10 runs per over, with Buttler reaching his first fifty of the season in just 30 balls. By the halfway point, RR had scored 95/1. Samson then targeted Dagar, hitting two boundaries and a six to reach his fifty in a stylish manner, off 33 balls. The pair comfortably accumulated runs and added 148 runs in 86 balls before Mohd. Siraj ended their partnership by catching Samson at deep backward square leg on 69(42).
By the time Samson and Buttler reached the 32-ball mark, RR was in a strong position with only 36 runs left to win. However, when Samson was dismissed, RCB saw a glimmer of hope as they also managed to get rid of the in-form players Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel at a low cost. Nevertheless, Buttler kept his composure and, with 21 balls remaining and 20 runs needed, he and Shimron Hetmyer successfully led RR to victory with five balls to spare. In fact, Buttler even hit a six when only one run was needed to reach his century and end the match in a stylish manner. He finished the game unbeaten with a score of 100, while Hetmyer also remained not out with 11 runs off 6 balls.
The toss was won by Rajasthan Royals’ captain, Sanju Samson, who chose to field first.
The opening duo of Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis gave RCB a quick start. Kohli took charge in the beginning, showcasing some elegant wristy shots. He confidently hit two beautiful fours and a six off Burger. In the first six overs, he managed to score four fours and a six, with Du Plessis also contributing with two fours. Together, they added 53 runs without losing any wickets during the Powerplay.
Ashwin and Chahal, the spinners, were able to slow down the pace, conceding only 11 runs in the following two overs. But Du Plessis picked up the pace, hitting two sixes off Boult, and then Kohli joined in with a six off Chahal and another one straight down the field off Riyan Parag to reach his fifty in a stylish manner.
In only 71 balls, the duo managed to achieve a 100-run partnership. Despite Rajasthan Royals dropping a few difficult catches, Trent Boult missed a relatively straightforward one from Faf du Plessis on 42 runs off Yuzvendra Chahal. However, this stroke of luck did not last long for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s captain as Chahal successfully caught him at long on in the very next ball, ending his innings at 44 runs from 33 balls and breaking the partnership.
In the next over, Burger was reintroduced by Captain Sanju Samson, which proved to be a successful decision as Glenn Maxwell was dismissed. Despite this, Kohli continued to score runs with precise placement and timing. He reached his eighth IPL century in 67 deliveries in the second-to-last over. To end the innings, he hit three boundaries off Avesh Khan in the final over, bringing RCB’s total to 183/3 after 20 overs.
Kohli stayed undefeated with a score of 113 runs off 72 deliveries, including 12 boundaries and four sixes.
In the 18th over of the first innings, RR made a substitution by bringing in Shubham Dubey as their Impact Player, taking the place of Yuzvendra Chahal who had a good spell with figures of 4-0-34-2.