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Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Jos Buttler endured a disappointing season at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as he created an unwanted record for the most ducks in a single IPL edition.
During the match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Dharamshala on Friday (May 19), Buttler was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada for zero after facing three balls, marking his fifth duck of the season.
Buttler, the Orange Cap winner of IPL 2022, could manage just 392 runs in 14 matches at an average of 28.00. England’s white-ball captain faced difficulties when he walked in to bat during the run chases this year, posting scores of 19, 0, 40, 0, 0, 0, and 0, amounting to a total of 59 runs in seven innings.
RR keeps playoff hopes alive
In the match against PBKS, RR won the toss and elected to field first. The home team posted 187/5 in their allotted 20 overs. Initially struggling, they lost four wickets for just 50 runs in 6.3 overs. However, Jitesh Sharma (44 off 28) and Sam Curran formed a crucial partnership of 64 runs for the fifth wicket, reviving their innings. In the death overs, Curran (49 not out off 31) and Shahrukh Khan (41 not out off 23) accelerated the run rate, propelling Punjab to a competitive total.
Navdeep Saini was the standout bowler for Rajasthan Royals, taking 3/40, while Trent Boult and Adam Zampa claimed one wicket each.
In pursuit of 188, Yashasvi Jaiswal (50 off 36) and Devdutt Padikkal (51 off 30) staged a resilient comeback with a partnership of 73 runs for the second wicket after Buttler’s dismissal. Contributions from Shimron Hetmyer (46 off 28), Riyan Parag (20 off 12) and Dhruv Jurel (10* off 4) helped Rajasthan secure a thrilling victory by four wickets in the final over. Kagiso Rabada was the standout bowler for Punjab, claiming 2/40, while Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh picked up a wicket each.
Padikkal was awarded the ‘Player of the Match’ for his brilliant half-century.
