IPL 2018, RR vs KXIP: Hits and Misses

#3 Hit: Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler scored his third consecutive fifty.

Jos Buttler has been a revelation at the top of the order. He has carried the RR batting line-up ever since he started opening (which happened a couple of games back). After scoring a couple of fifties in the last two games, Buttler was once again the top-scorer for RR in this game.

On what seemed like a slow pitch, Buttler knew he had to make use of the new ball and get as many runs as possible. Thus, he went after the bowling right from the word go. He hit a couple of fours in the first over and then smashed Axar Patel for a four and a six to give RR flying start. RR got to 63 in the powerplay and out of those the England wicket-keeper had scored 45 off 22 balls.

As the innings progressed, it became harder to score and hence, Buttler slowed down. He started rotating the strike and ran hard between the wickets. But as he tried to up the ante at the death, he was stumped for a superb 82. On a slow pitch where shot making seemed tough, it was Buttler’s efforts that helped RR get close to 160.