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Orange Cap Holder's ton and leg-spinner's hat-trick seal victory after KKR fightback
The Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai witnessed an absolute humdinger on April 18, 2022, as the Rajasthan Royals edged past the Kolkata Knight Riders in a nail-biting finish. Jos Buttler's second century of the season, coupled with Yuzvendra Chahal's first IPL hat-trick, proved just enough for the Royals to overcome a valiant chase from KKR.
The inning began with a touch of uncertainty for Buttler. The usually free-flowing batsman struggled to find timing on a "sticky" wicket, managing only 3 runs off his first nine balls. However, the tide quickly turned as he unleashed his trademark power-hitting against Umesh Yadav. Buttler toyed with the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Mavi, dispatching them for boundaries at will.
His fifty arrived in style, the second ball faced after the powerplay. He displayed a mature understanding of his strengths and weaknesses, milking runs off the wily Sunil Narine (who only conceded 5 runs off 9 balls to Buttler) while taking on the rest of the attack with brute force. By the halfway mark of the inning, Buttler had reached a score of 68, the anchor of the Royals' strong total.
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One of the best openers of modern-day cricket
After Narine accounted for Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson provided valuable support to Buttler. His cameo of 38 off just 19 balls kept the scoreboard ticking. Buttler, meanwhile, continued his assault on the KKR bowling attack, reaching his third century in his last seven IPL innings with a towering six off Pat Cummins.
Unfortunately, his dismissal came two balls later, as he top-edged a pull shot to a fine leg. Buttler's knock of 103 (61 balls) proved to be the cornerstone of the Royals' innings. (RR 217 for 5, Buttler 103, Samson 38, Narine 2-21)
KKR's chase started on a chaotic note. Narine, promoted to open the batting, was run out without facing a ball. However, Aaron Finch, struggling for form coming into the match, played a captain's knock. He took on the Royals spinners with confidence, smashing boundaries with ease.
Shreyas Iyer, on the other end, played a well-composed innings, matching Finch's strokeplay with some delightful boundaries of his own. Their partnership of 107 runs in just 8.5 overs brought KKR back into the contest.
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Hat-trick for Yuzi Chahal
Just when it seemed like KKR would cruise to victory, Yuzvendra Chahal spun a web of deception. He dismissed Venkatesh Iyer with a well-disguised googly, a wicket that turned the tide in the Royals' favour.
Shreyas, granted a lifeline after a dropped catch by Samson, briefly threatened to single-handedly take the game away. However, Chahal returned to remove him with a perfectly flighted delivery that trapped him LBW. A stunning hat-trick was completed with the dismissal of Shivam Mavi, leaving KKR needing 38 runs off 18 balls.
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Umesh Yadav after the clash
With nothing to lose, Umesh Yadav decided to go all guns blazing. He clobbered Trent Boult for two sixes and a four in the penultimate over, bringing the equation down to a manageable 18 off the last two.
However, Prasidh Krishna and debutant Obed McCoy held their nerves. McCoy, in a display of maturity beyond his years, dismissed Sheldon Jackson and Umesh Yadav in quick succession to seal a dramatic victory for the Royals. (KKR 210, S. Iyer 85, Finch 58, Chahal 5-40)
