NAVI MUMBAI: Jos Buttler hammered the Mumbai Indians attack to smash a 66-ball-100 but Jasprit Bumrah bowled well enough to restrict Rajasthan Royals to 193 for 8 in an IPL encounter here on Friday.
Buttler, who hit 11 fours and five sixes, in his 68-ball innings was severe on MI attack save Bumrah, whose 3 for 17 was largely the reason for MI being able to restrict Royals to sub-200 score which looked imminent at one point.
The Englishman played shots all round the park to bring up his second IPL hundred and first of the current edition. It was all the more praiseworthy as Yashashvi Jaiswal (1) and Devdutt Padikkal (7) were dismissed cheaply.
Skipper Sanju Samson (30 off 21 balls) played a useful knock as he and Buttler conjured 82-runs for the third wicket.
A late cameo by Shimron Hetymar (35 off 14 balls; 3×4; 3×6) compounded the bowling team’s woes.
Buttler, who was off the mark with a boundary to fine-leg and hit his first maximum, a pull shot over mid-wicket, off Daniel Sams (0/32), in the second over seemed on a rampage. He tore into Basil Thampi’s fourth over, hammering him for three maximums and two boundaries, as Rajasthan fetched 26 runs and raced to 43/1.
Buttler, who hit two successive boundaries off Sams, brought up his fifty in just 32 balls and then took the Mumbai Indians attack to task. At 87/2, after 10 overs, the stage was set for a big score.
Buttler was playing big shots at will and was ably supported by his captain. The duo was brutal on Murugan Ashwin, hitting him for 21-runs in the 11th over.
Samson struck three sixes and a four, before being dismissed by Kieron Pollard in the 15th over.
Then it was the Hetymar show, as he hit compatriot Pollard for two fours and as many sixes in the 17th over, where RR got 26 runs.
Buttler paced his innings well and reached to the three-figure mark with a single. However, Bumrah’s 19th over partially got MI back in the game.
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