Rajasthan Royals, IPL 2018
RR players celebrate their wicket. Photo by: Faheem Hussain /SPORTZPICS for BCCI

Rajasthan Royals climbed up to the fifth spot with 12 points in as many games following their third victory on the trot, riding on opener Jos Buttler’s blistering unbeaten knock of 94 in 53 balls — his second successive unconquered 90-plus score in the competition.

Rajasthan Royals put up a magnificent performance against the Mumbai Indians, as they won the 47th match of the tournament by seven wickets to keep their hopes alive in IPL 2018. It was a sensational inning by Jos Buttler which helped Rajasthan chase down the required target of 168 quite comprehensively in the end. It was a much-needed victory for Rajasthan which will surely give them the confidence of qualifying for the playoffs.

The Blue brigade registered a hat-trick who had put themselves under enormous pressure after winning only three from the first nine matches. They will look to continue their momentum in the next game against the Kolkata Knight Riders. A win will help them inch closer to the playoffs berth. They meet KKR at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday.

Rajasthan fast bowler Dhawal Kulkarni said Rajasthan should look to continue their winning momentum.

“All the games are crucial for us. Maybe, in the next game, we’ve got a good chance to beat Kolkata Knight Riders. With the momentum that we’ve got, I’m sure we’ll be able to do that,” said Kulkarni after Rajasthan’s victory yesterday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Buttler
Jos Buttler. Photo by: Faheem Hussain /SPORTZPICS for BCCI

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Courtesy of their victory Rajasthan has moved to the 5th on the points table with 12 points in six games. Buttler went on to smash his 5th consecutive IPL half-century. It is was only the 2nd time batsman achieved this feat after Virender Sehwag.

It was his 2nd consecutive 90+ score in the tournament. The move to promote Buttler up the order has worked wonders and has given Rajasthan the required results.

Speaking on the decision, Dhawal said it was a collective decision taken by the skipper, head coach, mentor and the batting coach.

“I think it was a collective decision of the captain, (head of cricket) Zubin (Bharucha), (mentor) Shane (Warne) and (batting coach) Amol (Muzumdar). So, he’s doing well for us, and I hope he continues to be in that form for us.”

Mumbai was 20 runs short says, Ben Cutting 

Meanwhile Mumbai Indians all-rounder Ben Cutting said the home team was at least 20 runs short of where they should have been.

“To be honest, I’m probably the wrong person to ask – I faced four balls, and I didn’t bowl. From what I saw, it is always a little difficult with a little bit of dew coming in batting second. We were probably 20 runs short with the bat. And that was the difference,” he said when asked about the track on which his side was restricted to 168 for six.

He added it was quite a difficult task to stop in the form Jos Buttler who has been in breathtaking form.

“It’s tough. I’m not sure. We were pretty close to our plans tonight. Missed a few balls with execution here and there, but that happens in Twenty20 cricket. He’s in red-hot form, and he’s scored, what, 500 runs? His confidence is high, and he’s striking the ball well. He played very well,” said Cutting.

Cutting further mentioned the close losses in the opening few games which have come back to hurt Mumbai.

“Had we won two of those four games, we wouldn’t be having the same conversation. We’d be sitting comfortably on 14-16 points,” he lamented.

Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane. Photo by: Faheem Hussain /SPORTZPICS for BCCI

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