A third Jos Buttler half-century of the Indian Premier League season saw Rajasthan Royals edge a dramatic three-run victory over Chennai Super Kings.
The England white-ball skipper rattled off another superb knock of 52 to continue his rich vein of form during Wednesday’s clash at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
But his side’s tally of 175-8 was almost knocked off by a pyrotechnic finale from MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja, who crashed 36 runs off the final two overs.
Despite the early loss of fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (10), it was Buttler’s sturdy second-wicket partnership with Devdutt Padikkal (38) that kept Rajasthan ticking over.
Even when their 77-run stand came to an end, subsequent turns from Ravichandran Ashwin (30) and Shimron Hetmyer (30* off 18) continued to punish a loose bowling attack.
Hetmyer has been unbeaten in three of his four innings this season. His scores read: 30* (18); 39* (21); 36 (18); and 22* (16).
Jadeja’s tidy 2-21 off four overs came too late to restrict the damage, and CSK were forced straight onto the offensive themselves when they came to the crease in pursuit.
For a while, it looked like they would prove handily successful in their chase, before the loss of Devon Conway (50) and Ajinkya Rahane (31) saw them tumble to 113-6.
But then, with their side in need, the veteran duo of Dhoni (32 not out) and Jadeja (25 not out) almost dragged them over the line, finishing just shy with 172-6 after Sandeep Sharma held his nerve in the final over.
Buttler continues IPL brilliance
Having led England to T20 World Cup glory last year, there was little doubt the wicketkeeper-batter’s form would again be a big-time player for the Royals, and so it has been proven.
After 54 against the Sunrisers and 79 against the Capitals, he has once again shown himself invaluable to the Royals and their hopes of success this season.
Dhoni rolls back the years
Having needed 40 runs off the final dozen balls, it appeared a stretch too far even for the 41-year-old and his superb skills.
But he hasn’t hung up his pads yet for a reason, and his devastating knock, with three maximums and an additional four, helped set up the grandstand finish. (Sportsmax)
