Jos Buttler’s third ton of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season helped Rajasthan Royals (RR) registered a thrilling 15-over win over Delhi Capitals (DC) at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in a match where 36 runs were required off the last over of the match. The high-scoring dramatic affair had many twists and turns but the biggest one came in the last over when DC dugout was unhappy by the standards of umpiring to an extent that skipper Rishabh Pant was ready to call his batters off-the-field as he believed that Obed McCoy had bowled an above-waist height no ball.
Last-over drama
Rovman Powell has not had much impact in his debut IPL season so far. Against Royals, he kept everyone on the edge of the seats with three consecutive sixes off McCoy. The third delivery he bowled looked close to a no ball but the umpire thought otherwise. It irked Pant as he tried to call his batters off-the-field.
This also led to a brief heated exchange between Jos Buttler and Pant. DC assistant coach, Pravin Amre was sent in the middle to talk to the umpires over the call but it did not have much effect. Powell could not do much as DC fell short of the target. However, a no ball followed by a free hit could have made last over proceedings more interesting.
Early wickets
In reply to Royals’ gigantic total, Capitals got off to a flier but Prasidh Krishna got the big wicket of David Warner. The Aussie opener scored a 14-ball 28 including five fours and one six. No.3 batter Sarfaraz Khan got out in the last over of fielding restrictions. Ravichandran Ashwin sent him back to the dugout for a single.
Pant-Shaw partnership
Shaw and skipper Rishabh Pant got the run chase going with a 51-run partnership for the third wicket. Ashwin got the big wicket of Shaw in the 10th over. He scored 37 runs from 27 deliveries which included five fours and one six.
Pant’s attack doesn’t last long
After Shaw's wicket, Pant made full use of Riyan Parag's over. The part-time off-spinner conceded 22 runs in a single over. However, Pant could not keep the onslaught going and lost his wicket to Krishna. The wicketkeeper-batter scored a 24-ball 44 laced with four fours and a couple of sixes. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal returned to the attack and got the wicket of Axar Patel.
Shardul Thakur looked promising but got run out for 10 runs. On the other end, Lalit Yadav seemed to be running out of partners. Demoted down the order, Rovman Powell joined Lalit in the middle. The two shared a 30-run partnership to keep the run chase alive. Lalit contributed with a 24-ball 37. The all-rounder got out in the penultimate over trying to take on Krishna. The tall fast bowler bowled a wicket-maiden to almost seal the win for Royals.
In the last over, Powell had too much to do on his own with a six required off each of the six deliveries. However, the Caribbean power-hitter did his best with three consecutive sixes off first three deliveries. It wasn’t enough as McCoy managed to follow it up with a dot ball. In the end, Powell got out for a 15-ball 36 as DC managed to post 207/8 after 20 overs.
Cautious start, mayhem in middle overs
Batting first, Royals opener Buttler started cautiously alongside Padikkal. Not many boundaries were scored in the first three overs. Padikkal broke free with a hat-trick of fours in the fourth over. Buttler joined the party in the last over of powerplay overs with a couple of sixes off Khaleel Ahmed. In the middle overs, Royals absolutely dominated DC bowlers as they searched for a breakthrough.
The Englishman reached his half-century with a boundary in the 11th over off 36 deliveries. Few overs later, Padikkal reached his half-century from 31 deliveries with a boundary as well. In the 15th over, Buttler targetted Kuldeep and hit him for two sixes and a four in a single over. In the next over, Padikkal was beaten by Khaleel's yorker and got out leg before wicket. He scored 54 runs from 35 deliveries including seven fours and two sixes.
Another ton for Buttler
In the same over, Buttler reached his century from 57 deliveries. It was his third century of the season and fourth overall. Skipper Samson walked out with a simple plan with his mind -- see the ball, hit the ball. In the 18th over, Khaleel erred and leaked 21 runs from his last over. Mustafizur Rahman took a beating as well in his last over but managed to get a tired Buttler out. He scored 116 runs from 65 deliveries including nine fours and as many sixes.
Record total
Despite Buttler's wicket, Samson helped Royals finish in style. Shardul Thakur conceded 20 runs from the last over as Royals posted the highest score of the season, 222/2. None of the DC bowlers remained economical by the end of the innings as they took a heavy beating. Samson remained unbeaten for 46 off 19 deliveries including five fours and three sixes.
