Rajasthan Royals' overseas signing Jos Buttler scored a well-calculated century which helped them win their fourth-consecutive game of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday (April 6).
Chasing 184 runs to win in 20 overs, Rajasthan were under the pump straightaway as they lost their opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for nought.
However, the early dismissal didn't deter Buttler from his goal of helping his team cross the line. The England white-ball captain stitched 148 runs for the second wicket alongside Sanju Samson to rescue the team from a jittery start.
Notably, the game against RCB was a special one for Buttler as he joined the list of players with 100 or more caps in the history of the lucrative tournament.
Buttler made the most out of the occasion and scored his sixth IPL hundred and equal KL Rahul's rare IPL feat. In 2022, Rahul, who was leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the maiden IPL season, smashed a century against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on April 24 to become the first player in the tournament's history to register a hundred in his 100th game.
Buttler has now equalled Rahul and has become only the second player to score a century in his 100th IPL game. Buttler's knock was studded with nine fours and four maximums and came at a strike rate of 172.41.
He expressed his delight after scoring the century and mentioned that the side is looking to keep up with the momentum earned early in the season.
"A little bit of luck to get it over the rope in the end, didn't time it that well, but delighted to get the win," Buttler said during the post-match presentation.
"However long you've played the game, you still have those anxieties and stresses. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself it'll be okay. Just keep digging in, working hard, at some point we will be okay. I actually did feel really good in the last game, even though I only scored 13 or something. We've started this season really well. We've been together for three seasons, everyone's comfortable with each other, we just need to keep this momentum going."
