Rajasthan Royals’ combative bowlers covered up for misfiring batsmen with the exception of classy opener Jos Buttler (82 off 58 balls) in their home match against Kings XI Punjab.
Defending 158 in front of a packed Sawai Mansingh Stadium, the men in blazing blue came up with a show their fans will be proud of, especially fielding and catching, to restwrict Kings XI to 143 and seal a morale-boosting 15-run victory in the Vivo IPL here on Tuesday.
K.L. Rahul’s defiant, unbeaten 95 kept the visitors in the game for a large part. Jofra Archer (4-0-32-1) and Jaydev Unadkat (4-0-36-1) did just enough at the finish. K. Gowtham (3-0-12-2) had done a fabulous job earlier. Buttler capped a super day under the lights with a stumping and a run out.
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Gowtham, one of those gutsy faces ready to go the extra mile, lit the spark with two stunning strikes. He read Chris Gayle’s mind as the huge West Indian stepped out for a slog, fired the ball down the leg-side for Buttler to whip off the bails. Then he beat R. Ashwin in the air, leaving the rival dugout shocked as the captain’s move to promote himself as a pinch-hitter misfired.
The urge to cash in on the PowerPlay overs forced Karun Nair to tread a dangerous path and his mistimed slog ended in Unadkat’s hands.
Buttler’s stumping and Unadkat’s catching showed that Royals were charged up. Ajinkya Rahane pulled off a diving catch at cover to send back Manoj Tiwary, with teammates rushing from all parts of the ground to applaud the skipper.
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Earlier, Royals went into the match with three changes and opted to bat. Despite the quick exit of Rahane, Buttler took on the attack, slamming boundaries at will in the PowerPlay, even as Marcus Stonis sent back Gowtham.
Buttler’s rapid-fire hitting helped him ease past 50 in 27 balls as he built the innings with Sanju Samson. Ashwin and Mujeeb Ur Rehman’s entry in the eighth and 10th over resulted in an engrossing contest between slow bowlers and strokeplayers. The noisy crowd appreciated in good measure as Royals reached 100 off 12.3 overs.
Samson, a crowd favourite, scored 13 off Ashwin’s third over before Mujeeb induced an ambitious shot from the Kerala batsman, who made an 18-ball 22. Buttler, who got a reprieve on 82, did not last long.
Stuart Binny and Ben Stokes could not do much in the death overs as Mohit Sharma gave away just five in the 19th. The standout performer was Mujeeb (two for 21). Andrew Tye grabbed a bagful at the end, but 158 proved enough for Royals.