'Power-packed innings' - Twitter in awe of Jos Buttler after he scores first ton of IPL 2022

The Rajasthan Royals batters seemed to have left off from where they had ended in the first game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They showcased an outstanding batting display during their IPL 2022 clash against the Mumbai Indians at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on April 2.

More importantly, their explosive opener Jos Buttler roared back to form with a whirlwind knock as he targeted the MI bowlers which led to them forgetting their lines and lengths. The English wicketkeeper-batter meant business right from the word ‘go’ as he dealt in boundaries at regular intervals.

It also needs to be noted that Buttler absorbed all the pressure after his opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal were dismissed for single-digit scores.

Jos Buttler smashes first ton of IPL 2022

After being asked to bat first by the Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, Jos Buttler who opened the innings was a bit cautious while facing pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah but scored nicely against the rest of the bowlers. He smacked Basil Thampi for a whopping 26 runs in the powerplay as well. Even though the MI bowlers staged a comeback with Padikkal’s wicket off the last ball of the 6th over, the Englishman just did not allow the bowlers to settle down and continued to play aggressively.

Despite being in splendid touch, Buttler had to wait patiently at the non-strikers’ end for more than two overs as the hard-hitting West Indies middle-order sensation Shimron Hetmyer batted brilliantly from the other end in the middle overs. Finally, he succeeded in breaching the three-figure score off the first ball of the penultimate over.

The wicketkeeper-batter took a single and scored his 100 off just 66 deliveries at an outstanding strike rate of 151.5. Not only did Jos Buttler score his second IPL century but is also the Orange Cap holder for now, having surpassed Caribbean sensation Andre Russell courtesy of this whirlwind knock. At the same time, this is also the first century of IPL 2022.

Unfortunately, the blockbuster innings ended off the fifth ball of the same over when the in-form batter was castled by Bumrah with a pinpoint yorker. Jos Buttler walked back for 100 runs from 68 balls at a strike rate of 147.1 including 11 fours and five sixes.

Speaking about the match, Buttler who was at the crease almost for the entire innings was involved in two vital partnerships. He added 82 runs for the third-wicket stand with skipper Sanju Samson and was then involved in a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket along with Hetmyer as the Royals posted a competitive total of 193/8 from their 20 overs.

Here’s how Twitter reacted after Jos Buttler’s century: