The royal Buttler

Jaipur, April 6

Jos Buttler roared back to form with a masterful century that overshadowed Virat Kohli’s record-extending ton as Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets for their fourth win in as many matches in the IPL here today.

RR now have four wins out of four and sit on top of the 10-team table, while RCB slipped to the eighth spot with their fourth defeat and third on the trot.

While Kohli enhanced his status as RCB’s lone ranger by notching up his eighth IPL century, RCB could only manage a below-par 183/3 after the home side opted to bowl.

Later, the England white-ball skipper, in his 100th IPL appearance, chose to ruin Kohli’s evening by playing a knock that was way better compared to former India skipper’s effort both in intent and quality.

Buttler, whose 13 runs are the highest in his last three innings, anchored the chase with five balls to spare.

Buttler finished the chase with a six off Cameron Green over deep square leg in the last over, which also notched up his sixth IPL century. His effort came off just 58 balls, laced with nine fours and four sixes. Skipper Sanju Samson gave a fine support to Buttler in a record 148-run partnership — the highest of the season — that virtually killed the contest.

Samson ended up with 69 runs from 42 balls, studded with eight fours and two sixes.

Brief Scores: RCB: 183/3 in 20 overs (Kohli 113*, du Plessis 44; Chahal 2/34); RR: 189/4 in 19.1 overs (Buttler 100*, Samson 69). — PTI

Look who’s back

Mumbai: A fit-again Suryakumar Yadav will hope to come good when a faltering Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals lock horns in a bid to arrest their slide in the IPL here tomorrow. With three losses in a row, MI are languishing at the bottom whereas DC have descended to the ninth spot on the points table following a 106-run hammering in their last match. If MI have once again made a characteristic start of falling into a hole with a string of defeats, the misfiring DC have had a similar fate and are under pressure to bounce back. All eyes will be on Suryakumar since the T20 World Cup follows this iteration of the IPL immediately and his form and fitness will be crucial for the Indian campaign. pti

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