Jos Buttler announced his arrival in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 in a terrific fashion as Rajasthan Royals (RR) began their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday. The England wicketkeeper-batter set the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on fire, smashing the fastest half-century of the season. Buttler notched up half-a-ton off just 20 balls, edging past Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored a half-century in 23 deliveries in the season opener against Gujarat Titans.
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Put to bat first, RR went off to a blistering start, with openers – Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal – bringing up the fifty partnership for the first wicket off just 22 deliveries. Both batters launched an assault on the Orange Army, smashing the bowlers all around the park.
Buttler humiliated Natarajan with a hat-trick of boundaries and looked to treat Fazalhaq Farooqui in the same way. However, the Afghan speedster managed to bounce back in time and knocked over the Rajasthan opener with a nip-backer. The right-arm quick bowled on a hard length that nipped in sharply. Buttler looked to work it away but missed it and the ball went through to rattle the stumps.
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It was a much-needed breakthrough for the Sunrisers as the Buttler-Jaiswal duo had added 85 runs to the first wicket. Eventually, it became Rajasthan Royal’s highest powerplay score in the IPL, betting their previous best of 81/1, against Chennai Super Kings in 2021.
Earlier, SRH stand-in captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the toss and chose to field first against the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals. Experienced Indian bowler Bhuvneshwar is taking the mantle of the skipper on the day as Aiden Markram isn’t yet available due to international commitments.
SRH skipper Bhuvneshwar Kumar said: “We will bowl first, looks like a good batting wicket. Will take advantage of the chase. I’ll try and do the best for the team."
On the other hand, RR captain Sanju Samson said: “This is a new IPL with new rules. We have to respect our opponents and play to our strengths. Always feel good to wear this jersey, looking forward to playing in Jaipur."
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