IPL 2024 | Twitter reacts to Kohli ton in vain as Buttler’s heroic six seals ‘Royal’ win with century

Expecting dew in the late half of the contest, Sanju Samson’s decision to field first was not backed up well by their new ball pair of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger. RCB openers, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis offered a solid start, gathering 53 runs inside the powerplay and converting it into RCB’s maiden century stand in the ensuing edition. With 88/0 in 10 overs, Kohli reached his fifty in 39 balls and started to switch gears with Faf joining him in the business. However, Yuzvendra Chahal struck after the strategic timeout by outsmarting the RCB skipper in the 14th over, ending a 126-run partnership. While Glenn Maxwell and Saurav Chauhan departed for single digits, Cameron Green somehow stood at one end to get the best seat to witness Kohli’s eighth IPL ton. Eventually, the former RCB skipper scored a 67-ball hundred propelling the team to 183/3 with three fours in the last over. 

Unlike the counterparts, Rajasthan Royals suffered an early setback as Yashasvi Jaiswal’s lean patch with the bat continued, getting dismissed for a golden duck in the first over itself off Reece Topley. However, the home side summed up a 54-run powerplay, powered by a 20-run sixth over off Mayank Dagar. They added 41 runs in the next four overs with Samson switching gears to take RR to 95/1 midway through the chase. Subsequently, Buttler chalked a 30-ball fifty and Samson reached the milestone mark in 33 balls. The two jolted a 148-run stand before Siraj removed Samson in the 15th over. Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel had an off day, falling in back-to-back overs but the equation of 14 from 18 balls proved to be a cakewalk for RR with a set Buttler hovering around the ninety-run mark. With 13 runs coming over the next two overs, Buttler on 94* clobbered a match-winning six to complete a ton and take RR past the finish line.