New Delhi: Jos Buttler returned to his ballistic ways with a six-laden half-century before captain Shubman Gill changed gears for a well-made fifty, powering Gujarat Titans to 210 for four against hosts Delhi Capitals in the IPL Wednesday.
Buttler (52 off 27), who had a forgettable T20 World Cup in India, finally found the form he is known for. Besides Buttler and Gill (70 off 45), Washington Sundar (55 off 32) contributed with the third fifty of the innings..
When Buttler is at his best, the former England captain hits sixes for fun, and he smashed five of them at the Kotla. Four of those maximums came off medium pacer Mukesh Kumar (2/55 in 4 overs), who had an off day after starring in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians.
Buttler went hard at Mukesh in the fifth over of the innings, collecting 23 runs via three hits that went all the way.
One was over fine leg after he shuffled across the stumps, the second was a massive strike that reached the top tier of the ‘Gautam Gambhir Stand’, and three balls later, he targeted the extra cover region.
Buttler’s onslaught helped the Delhi Capitals reached 68 for one in the powerplay. He was dismissed against the run of play, off a long hop from Kuldeep Yadav.
Gill, a mere spectator when Buttler was batting, took the onus on himself to clear the ropes after Buttler’s departure.
Four of his five sixes came off India teammate Kuldeep, with the Titans captain using the slog sweep effectively against the wrist spinner.
Titans have been labelled as a top-heavy team with the middle order not being tested enough. Washington Sundar on Wednesday played his part well at number four.
The southpaw picked the mid-wicket boundary against the spinners, especially Vipraj Nigam, who leaked 23 runs in the 12th over.
Washington reached his half-century with a six over deep square leg off T Natarajan.
At 161 for two in 15 overs, the Titans were on course for 220 but fell short.
Lungi Ngidi was the pick of the bowlers for Delhi Capitals, ending with frugal figures of 24 for one in four overs.