Achi news desk-
Jaipur: Jos Buttler returned to form after completing his century with a six, dismissing Virat Kohli’s century and Rajasthan Royals beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by six wickets to occupy the top position in the Indian Premier League points table.
Royals have played four matches so far and are on top after winning all four. While RCB dropped to eighth place with a third straight defeat.
Kohli, fighting alone in the fort, scored a record eighth century in the IPL, but his team could only score 183 runs for three wickets.
Buttler, who played his century IPL match, ruined RCB’s winning plans by playing a memorable innings. Butler, who failed in the last three innings, led the team to victory with five free balls. He also completed his sixth century of the tournament by hitting Cameron Greene with a deep square six over the first ball of the last ball. He hit nine fours and four sixes in his 58-ball innings.
Captain Sanju Samson supported Buttler well and made a partnership of 148 runs. Samson scored 69 runs in 42 balls which included eight fours and two sixes. Royals are currently on top over Kolkata Knight Riders on the basis of net run rate.
Royals’ innings Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal bowled economically in the middle of the overs. Ashwin gave 28 runs in four overs while Chahal took two wickets and gave away 34 runs.
Prior to this, Kohli had performed excellent pulls and movements in his innings. He scored 113 runs in 72 balls and so far 38 percent of RCB’s total runs in the tournament have come from his batting.
Kohli hit 12 fours and three sixes in his innings. Apart from the captain Paf du Plessis (44 runs in 33 balls), he was unable to get support from the other side.
Kohli completed his half-century in 39 balls and scored the next 50 runs in 28 balls. He touched the triple-digit mark by taking one run off Andre Berger in the 19th over.
Glenn Maxwell (one) and debutant left-handed batsman Saurabh Chauhan (nine) got out cheaply. Chauhan failed to repeat the form of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.
Giving RCB their best start of this IPL season, Kohli and du Plessis put on a 125-run partnership for the first wicket. Both scored 53 runs in the powerplay. Ashwin gave only three runs in the fifth over.
Kohli hit the fast balls Trent Bolt and Berger all over the pitch. Burger gave 26 runs in two powerplay overs. Chachal dominated Kohli’s bat and gave only four runs in the eighth over.
Du Plessis hit two outstanding sixes in the ninth over while Kohli hit a six off former RCB teammate Chahal.
Sanju Samson handed the ball to Ryan Parag in the 11th over, who troubled both batsmen but failed to take a wicket. He dropped Du Plessis’s return catch.
Khalil broke the partnership and eliminated Duplessis in the 14th round. In the same over, Kohli was brought to life for 66 when he was caught by Berger, but Buttler caught Duplessis at long-on in the next ball.
