Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
FT
Wednesday Nov 06, 2024
Thursday, 18 April 2024 00:22 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler hit 107 not out to lead Rajasthan Royals to a thrilling final-ball win in pursuit of 224 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
England’s white-ball captain struggled for his touch early on but burst into life when the seventh wicket fell.
He faced every ball in the last three overs and scored the single needed from the last ball to seal a two-wicket win.
The Royals chase was the joint-highest in the Indian Premier League and puts Buttler’s Royals top of the table.
Buttler, who scored 100 not out against Royal Challengers Bangalore 10 days ago, edged and mistimed his way to 42 from his first 33 balls - and the Royals needed 96 from the last 36 balls as wickets fell around him.
Rovman Powell struck an important 26 from 13 balls but he was trapped lbw in the 17th over by Sunil Narine – who had hit a brilliant 109 in Kolkata’s 223-6 – leaving the Royals seven down and Buttler without any frontline batters to partner.
Buttler started the 18th by hitting Mitchell Starc for a straight six and later in the over, his England team-mate Phil Salt, Kolkata’s wicketkeeper, let one through his gloves from the Australian left-armer, which ran away for five crucial wides.
Trent Boult sacrificed his wicket with a run out to allow Buttler to keep the strike throughout Starc’s over and the opener hit seamer Harshit Rana for two more sixes in the 19th to leave nine runs required from the last.
A six from the first ball took Buttler to three figures from 55 balls before he turned down singles from the next three balls to protect number 10 Avesh Khan.
With three needed from two balls, Buttler raced back for two and flicked the final delivery off his pads to complete the win.
