Rajasthan Royals etched a win against Sunrisers Hyderabad by 55 runs in Delhi after restricting them to 165/8 in 20 overs. Chasing 221, SRH started off well after Manish Pandey and Jonny Bairstow out 57 runs on the board for the first wicket.
But Pandey’s departure for 31 off 20 saw a fall of wickets at regular intervals for Hyderabad and they were soon reduced to 105/4 with the new skipper Kane Williamson back in the hut.
No batsman was able to take the onus of himself as SRH failed to steady the ship and eventually suffered the defeat. Left-handed bowler Mustafizur Rahman returned with three wickets for 20 runs in four overs to rattle the Sunrisers’ batting line up.
Earlier, Jos Buttler was on carnage against the SRH bowlers as he struck his maiden T20 hundred. Buttler scored 124 off 64 balls before getting out to Sandeep Sharma in the penultimate over.
The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman started off the innings in a slow and steady manner but picked up the pace and hammered the bowlers all around the park once he got his eye in.
Apart from Buttler, captain Sanju Samson also chipped in with 48 off 33 during the course. This is the third win for RR in 7 matches and they are now placed at number five spot in the points table.
Captain’s corner
SRH’s new skipper Kane Williamson admitted that it was a tough day for his side at the office and credited Rajasthan for their performance.
“A tough day. A very competitive total from RR. It was Jos' day and he was outstanding. With the bat you do need to get a few things to go your way and when you're losing wickets it makes it all the more harder to chase 220. We have had a lot of challenges over the last three weeks, but we need to make small adjustments and put in improved performances. Jos and Sanju were key, so we wanted Rashid to bowl as many deliveries as possible against them. It is a bit of character building for us, so we just need to swallow it and move ahead. This game can change quickly and it is a game of fine lines. We just need to be clear of what we want to do each day. [On leaving the fifth bowler for the end] It wasn't the initial plan, but we wanted to use our resources and it was a decision we had to make. Those are the risks you need to take and not let the game just unfold,” he said.
Williamson further hailed RR for their batting performance and said that it was an exceptional batting from the side.
“Exceptional batting from Rajasthan, you just have to tip your hats off to them. There are number of leaders in the group. It's important we stay tight. And for us it about building as a side and make adjustments. Rather than over-search for the win, we just have to be clear about how we need to operate. Warner is a world class table, the cards are on the table and I am sure there are a number of conversations to be had,” he further added.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson lavished praise on Buttler and said that it’s always fun to bat with the England cricketer. “Absolutely, it's always a pleasure to bat with Jos. When Jos goes on, it's always a good sight for us. I think it was a very clinical performance. We started well in the powerplay and just stuck to our plans. It can be a funny game and they have some hitters in their line-up. I think we haven't won as many matches as we would have liked, but it can be funny in the IPL. One ball can change the result. It doesn't matter if I am in form, I want to contribute in a better and dominant way and help my team win,” he said.
Experts’ opinion
Journalist Boria Majumdar hailed Jos Buttler for his knock.
Journalist Ayaz Memon heaped praise on Buttler for his scintillating ton and said it was a marvellous century.
Former cricketer S. Badrinath pointed out that the change in captaincy might not bring the change in fortunes all of a sudden for SRH and they need to be patient.
SRH will now play MI on Tuesday while RR will take on CSK on Wednesday in Delhi.