Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024: Jos Buttler slams ton, guides Rajasthan Royals (RR) to pulsating win

Kolkata: A sensational century from Jos Buttler and fiery cameos from Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell helped the Rajasthan Royals (RR) secure a pulsating two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.

RR topped the table with this win, having won six, lost one and obtained 12 points. KKR is in the second spot, with four wins and two losses, giving them eight points.

In the run chase of 224 runs, Rajasthan Royals was off to a decent start. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit Mitchell Starc for two fours and Vaibhav Arora for a six, but was caught by Venkatesh Iyer for 9-ball 19. Harshit Rana took his first wicket. RR was 22/1 in 1.5 overs.

Skipper Sanju Samson was the next up on the crease. The captain was looking good, smashing Vaibhav for two successive fours in the mid-on and mid-wicket region. However, he was trapped by Harshit Rana, who got him caught for 12 runs in eight balls with two fours.  Riyan Parag and Jos Buttler ended RR’s powerplay on a high. They got 23 runs from Vaibhav’s over as Parag hit him for two fours and a six and Buttler launched him for a six over long-on.  Parag saved more beating for Rana, launching him for two sixes and a four. But the pacer got the last laugh as he got him caught by Andre Russell at deep midwicket for 34 in 14 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes.

100-run was up for RR in 8.2 overs. Jurel was trapped leg-before-wicket by Narine for just two, continuing his poor IPL run. Halfway through the innings, RR was 109/4, with Buttler (32*) joined by Ravichandran Ashwin. Just when Buttler and Ashwin started rebuilding, Varun Chakravarthy’s 13th over proved to be a game-changer. He first got Ravichandran Ashwin caught by Angkrish Raghuvanshi for just eight in 11 balls and Shimron Hetmyer caught by Shreyas Iyer at cover region in two balls.

Buttler continued to shepherd the chase, bringing up his first fifty of the tournament in 36 balls, with five fours and a six. Powell’s arrival brought back momentum in favour of RR. First, he hit Russell for two sixes, bringing 17 runs from his 16th over. Later, he bludgeoned Narine for a four and two sixes over long-on and deep square leg. However, Narine had the last laugh, trapping Powell lbw for 26 in 13 balls, with a four and three sixes.

After this, the game became KKR vs Buttler essentially. Trent Boult was run out for a duck. RR was 186/8 in 17.3 overs. RR needed 28 in the final two overs.

In the next over bowled by Harshit, Buttler smashed two sixes and a four. The equation came down to nine runs in the final over. Buttler reached his second century of IPL 2024 and seventh in the league’s history in just 55 balls, with nine fours and six sixes. RR ended the innings on a successful note at the last ball, with Buttler unbeaten at 107 in 60 balls, with nine fours and sis sixes.

Earlier, star bowling allrounder Sunil Narine’s blazing 109-run knock powered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 223/6. With his ton, Narine became the first cricketer to slam a century and take 100 wickets in the IPL. Brief score: Kolkata Knight Riders 223/6 (Sunil Narine 109, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30, Rinku Singh 20*; Avesh Khan 2/35) lost to Rajasthan Royals: 224/8 (Jos Buttler 107*, Riyan Parag 34, Sunil Narine 2/30). (ANI)

Also Read: Jos Buttler will feel sad, incredibly disappointed; needs time to let dust settle, says Morgan

Also Watch: