STATS HIGHLIGHTS
Follow UsFinally, the true nature of Wankhede was witnessed in Match 34. 400+ runs were scored in the match with 25+ sixes and a century. Barring the last over controversy, it was a crackerjack of a match.
Buttler continues his merry way
The 15th edition of the IPL hasn’t even reached its half-way mark (35 matches) and Jos Buttler donning the Orange Cap, is 226 runs ahead of KL Rahul at second (265).
In just seven matches, Buttler reached 400 runs and became the joint quickest to the landmark in a season of IPL. Chris Gayle (2011), Glenn Maxwell (2014), Virat Kohli (2016) and David Warner (2019), also registered their 400th runs in their seventh innings.
The onslaught didn’t stop there, he went on to extend his tally to 491 runs in first seven matches, which is the most by a batsman in the first seven matches of a season of IPL. Gayle in 2011, had hit 436 runs in his first seven, the highest then.
Buttler and Padikkal giving RR excellent starts
Since Devdutt Padikkal started to open the innings in this edition, the pair of Buttler and Padikkal have been excellent. In this edition of the IPL, the pair has hoisted 427 runs in six innings at an average of 71.2 and a run rate of 9.8. They have stitched three 50+ partnerships, including the 155-run partnership against Delhi.
By posting 155-runs for the opening stand, Battler and Padikkal registered the highest partnership for any wicket for Rajasthan in the IPL. Also, this was the highest opening partnership against Delhi in the IPL. Prior to this match, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal for Punjab Kings in 2021 had forged a 122-run partnership, the highest then.
Buttler piling the century count
It has been that kind of a season where nail-biting thrillers, count of sixes and Buttler’s centuries, just keeps increasing. Rajasthan are left with seven more matches and Buttler has already registered three centuries. Certainly, the 973-run monumental season of 2016 by Virat Kohli is under a threat.
First of all, by registering back-to-back centuries, Buttler became the second player after Shikhar Dhawan in 2020 for Delhi to hit tons in consecutive innings in the IPL. Adding to his record count, Buttler became only the second batsman in the IPL after Kohli in 2016 to hit three or more centuries in a single season.
Overall, in the IPL, Buttler has four centuries to his name, which is the joint-second most by a batter in the IPL. For Rajasthan, his four centuries are the most, no batsman has more than two. To add more, his 116 runs in this match is the third best score for Rajasthan in the IPL.
Middle overs (7-15) bash
Generally, batting teams tend to maximize in the field restriction overs and look for the odd boundaries in the middle overs. However, Rajasthan batsmen, openers to be precise, had a different approach.
In the first six overs, Buttler and Padikkal scored at a run rate of 7.3 and hit a boundary every 5.1 balls. Whereas, in the next nine overs, the duo scored 111 runs at a run rate of 12.3 and hit a boundary every three balls. The 111-run middle overs (7-15) phase, was the best of this season and the second best for Rajasthan in their IPL history. In 2010 against Chennai, they had scored 113 runs, their highest.
Joint highest total posted against Delhi
By virtue of a 155-run opening partnership between Buttler and Padikkal, a century by Buttler and a 19-ball 46-run cameo by their skipper Sanju Samson, helped Rajasthan post the 222/2. This was the highest total of this season and the joint highest total against Delhi in the IPL. Chennai in 2012 had also posted 222/5.
Chahal continues to shine
With the bat, Buttler has been excellent for Rajasthan. Likewise, Yuzvendra Chahal has been leading the charge with the ball for Rajasthan. Just like Buttler, Chahal has maintained a social distance in the race for Purple Cap. He has a five-wicket difference between him and Kuldeep Yadav (13) at second.
Across the seasons of the IPL, after the first seven matches, no bowler has bagged more wickets than Chahal. There were four bowlers with 17 wickets in the first seven matches of an IPL season. Chahal, with the wicket of Axar Patel, became the first bowler to bag 18 wickets in the first seven matches.
Flurry of sixes
Sixes flowed like water in the fixture between Delhi and Rajasthan. Buttler with nine sixes and Rovamn Powell with five sixes were the six hitting stars.
In total, this match witnessed 26 sixes, 14 by Rajasthan and 12 by Delhi, which is the joint most in a match played at the Wankhede in the IPL. There are two other matches in which 26 sixes were hit in a match at Wankhede. To add more, 64 boundaries were hit in this match, which is also the joint most in a match at Wankhede in the IPL.
A rare gem by Prasidh
This game had witnessed 429 runs being scored, 26 sixes and a total of 64 boundaries being hit. Amidst the carnage, controversies and what not, a tall lanky bowler from Karnataka, Prasidh Krishna, delivered one gem of an over in the 19th over.
In his previous match against Kolkata, Prasidh in the 19th over gave away only seven runs when Rajasthan were defending 18 runs in the last two overs. In his match against Delhi, he was even better as he bowled a wicket-maiden in the penultimate over. In the IPL, he was only the second bowler after Lasith Malinga in 2015 against Sunrisers Hyderabad to bowl a wicket-maiden in the penultimate over of a chase.
