The stark contrast between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru was on public display at Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Friday (6 April). Whilst the former secured their fourth consecutive victory, becoming the first team to do so in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), the latter succumbed to their third defeat on the trot.
Chasing a target of 184 runs, Rajasthan took only 19.1 overs to achieve the target, securing a six-wicket triumph. After modest returns in the first three matches, Jos Buttler played a match-winning knock of 100 runs from 58 deliveries, whilst skipper Sanju Samson scored a 42-ball 69.
This was Buttler's first IPL century since May 2022. Interestingly, his last ton came against the same opposition – RCB. Buttler also became only the second player to score a century on his 100th IPL appearance, joining KL Rahul on the list.
Albeit they ultimately made light work of the chase, Rajasthan did not have the best of starts. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s poor run of form continued as he was dismissed on a duck by Reece Topley in the first delivery. The left-handed batter has scored merely 39 runs in the first four matches, averaging 9.75.
Bengaluru could have had their second wicket when Buttler miscued a shot off Mohammed Siraj’s bowling in the fourth over, but Cameron Green could not capitalise on the opportunity.
The first five overs produced only 34 runs, but the fifth over tipped the scales in Rajasthan’s favour. Left-arm spinner Mayank Dagar conceded 20 runs in that over, as Buttler struck three fours and a six.
Sanju Samson was given a reprieve as well, as Kohli dropped the opportunity of sending the Rajasthan skipper packing in the eighth over. Since then, the pair in pink were in the pink of health, recording a 148-run partnership.
Samson eventually lost his wicket to Siraj in the 15th over, while Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel could only score a combined six runs. However, Buttler remained unbeaten to see his team through, taking Rajasthan to the top of the standings.
Virat Kohli Scored His 8th IPL Century
Earlier, talismanic batter Virat Kohli brought out his vintage self to slam his eighth Indian Premier League (IPL) century and ninth overall in T20 cricket to lift Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a competitive 183/3 in 20 overs.
Kohli was pristine in hitting 12 fours and four sixes to make an unbeaten 113 off 72 balls, also his third century in his last seven IPL innings and first of the ongoing season, to level his highest score in the competition. He went hard in scoring against pace, making 67 off 39 balls while accumulating 46 off 33 balls against spin.
The former RCB skipper hit almost 62% runs of RCB’s total, while the rest of the batters made 59 runs from 48 balls, to give his team a real chance in defending the total on a pitch which he described as ball holding up a bit. Interestingly, Kohli’s 67-ball ton is the joint-slowest in IPL, levelling with a hundred made by Manish Pandey in same number of balls against DC in 2009.
Pushed into batting first, Kohli and Faf du Plessis hit four boundaries to help RCB amass 29/0 in three overs. Kohli hit the first six of the game by handsomely pulling Nandre Burger before du Plessis thumped a four over his head. The duo brought up the fifty of the opening stand in the sixth over to finish the powerplay at 53/0.
After Kohli became the first batter to breach the 7,500-run mark in IPL’s history, du Plessis launched a brace sixes on short balls from Trent Boult to take 16 runs off the ninth over. Kohli whipped off Yuzvendra Chahal for a six in the 10th over, followed by reaching his fifty when he hammered Riyan Parag for a six down the ground.
The century stand between Kohli and du Plessis was achieved in 11.2 overs, before the former got a life at 67 when Burger dropped a chance at point off Chahal. A few balls later, Boult dropped a regulation catch of du Plessis at cover to give the batter a second life on 42 off Chahal.
But du Plessis couldn’t capitalise on the reprieve as he holed out to long-on for 44 off 33 balls off the leg-spinner, followed by Burger rattling Glenn Maxwell’s stumps and Chahal taking out debutant Saurabh Chauhan.
Kohli signalled taking an acceleration route by smacking Avesh for three fours, before slog-sweeping Chahal for six and reaching his century in 67 balls with a single to long-on off a low full toss from Burger. Kohli took three fours off Avesh in the final over and walked off with a standing ovation from his RCB teammates, as the visitors made 54 runs off the last five overs.
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