IPL 2022: Men in pink beat Delhi on Buttler’s season’s 3rd ton amid last-over chaos

Jos Buttler delivered another batting masterclass to lead Rajasthan Royals to a 15-run victory over Delhi Capitals at Wankhede Stadium on Friday. Buttler smashed his third century of the season as the Delhi Capitals bowlers looked helpless to stop him until the penultimate over when Mustafizur Rahman removed him on 116. Rajasthan’s biggest score of the season, 222/2, was aided by the superb ton.

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None of the Delhi Capitals hitters failed to play a significant knock while chasing the enormous goal, as Rishabh Pant (44), Prithvi Shaw (37) and David Warner (28) failed to convert strong starts into big scores. In 20 overs, they were limited to 207/8.

Lalit Yadav (37) and Rovman Powell (36) fought valiantly until the end but were unable to complete the difficult assignment. After the powerplay, Delhi began losing wickets at regular intervals, derailing their pursuit.

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The Delhi Capitals camp also voiced their displeasure in the final over, when DC required 36 runs from the penultimate over and Powell smashed the first three balls for sixes. The third pitch was a full throw, and the DC camp, commanded by Pant, called a halt to the game because he wanted the batters to come off without completing.

Prasidh Krishna was the pick of the Rajasthan bowlers, with three scalps to his name. He bowled a magnificent penultimate over, allowing no runs and taking a critical wicket of Lalit.

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When asked to bat first, Buttler and Devdutt Padikkal got off to a poor start, scoring 12 runs in three overs as the ball swung for Khaleel Ahmed and Shardul Thakur. However, after the fifth over, the opening pair stepped on the gas and blew away the Delhi bowlers. They put on a mammoth 155-run partnership for the first wicket, with Padikkal returning to form with a magnificent 54-run knock. During the stand, the southpaw complimented his senior opener admirably.

Buttler timed his innings well after a shaky start, and after he reached his half-century, he simply burst on every bowler in his path to hammer his fourth IPL tonne. His spectacular knock was peppered with nine sixes and as many fours.

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While skipper Sanju Samson demonstrated his power game with an unbeaten 19-ball 46, he closed the innings in style with a maximum to help RR reach 222/2.

In response, DC got off to a good start with Shaw and Warner sharing a 43-run stand for the first wicket, but Prasidh Krishna broke it to put them on the mat early. They worked hard to match the required run rate throughout the chase, but they kept losing important wickets in the process.

With the win, Rajasthan Royals moved to the top of the points table with 10 points, while Delhi stayed in sixth place.