AHMEDABAD: England’s Jos Buttler struck an unbeaten 97 to power Gujarat Titans to the top of the IPL table with a seven-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in Ahmedabad’s intense heat on Saturday.
Chasing 204 for victory, Gujarat rode on Buttler’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target with four balls to spare at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler and impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, a left-hand West Indies batter who hit 43, put on a key stand of 119 to steer Gujarat to their fifth win in seven matches and the top of the 10-team table.
Delhi slipped to second.
Rutherford fell in the 19th over. Delhi’s left-arm quick Mitchell Starc needed to defend 10 off the final six balls but the left-handed Rahul Tewatia finished off with a six and four.
Buttler, who hit his third half-century of the season, was left three short of a hundred that would have put him level with Virat Kohli’s record eight IPL tons.
Gujarat, who won the IPL in their debut season in 2022, elected to field first on a hot afternoon as the temperature soared above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
Delhi reached 203-8 but the total could have been more had it not been for four wickets by Gujarat pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who now leads this season’s bowling with 14 scalps.
Buttler was the hero as his batting charge stood out after his work behind the stumps for 20 overs in the heat as he gloved two catches.
Gujarat skipper Shubman Gill fell run out for seven in the second over after he attempted a tough single and a direct throw from Karun Nair rattled the stumps.
The left-right batting pair of Sai Sudharsan and Buttler put the innings back on track as they balanced caution and aggression in their stand of 60.
Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav took down Sudharsan for 36 but Buttler found another partner in Rutherford, who took on the bowling and hit three sixes.
Earlier Delhi skipper Axar Patel top-scored with 39.
KL Rahul made 28 before Krishna trapped him lbw with a yorker and then cut short Nair’s knock in the ninth over.
Veteran pace bowler Ishant Sharma bowled two overs but went off after he struggled to cope with the scorching heat.
Ishant came back to bowl another over but again went back to the dug out and was subbed out with figures of 1-19.
Tristan Stubbs was out for 31 before Krishna sent back Axar and Vipraj Nigam with successive balls but the hat-trick was avoided.
Ashutosh Sharma hit 37 to boost the total.
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Jos Buttler fires Gujarat to top of IPL table in intense heat
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Jos Buttler fires Gujarat to top of IPL table in intense heat
- Chasing 204 for victory, Gujarat rode on Englishman’s 54-ball knock laced with 11 fours and four sixes to achieve their target
Iva Jovic received tips from Novak Djokovic, but those couldn’t help her against Sabalenka
- They helped until Tuesday when top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated the 18-year-old American 6-3, 6-0 to end her run in Melbourne
- Predicted rankings published by the WTA showed her climbing to No. 20 — her highest spot
Iva Jovic has received playing tips throughout the Australian Open from Novak Djokovic. They worked very well until Tuesday, when top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka defeated the 18-year-old American 6-3, 6-0 to end her run at Melbourne Park.
“Hopefully throughout the year I can keep having more moments with him because it’s been amazing,” Jovic said of Djokovic, the star Serbian who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 10 of them at the Australian Open.
But even Djokovic could not have saved Jovic against Sabalenka in the quarterfinal match.
To be fair, Jovic has been doing just fine on her own, rising quickly in the WTA rankings.
She finished 2024 ranked just inside the top 200. Predicted rankings published Tuesday by the WTA showed her climbing to No. 20 — her highest spot.
Jovic had a chance against Sabalenka in the first set. Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead, but Jovic stayed in the set and had three breakpoint chances in the ninth game trailing 5-3. She lost 6-3 and lost her momentum, losing the second set 6-0.
Jovic referred to a comment that she attributed to Andre Agassi speaking about Djokovic, noting his ability to change styles and keep opponents off balance.
She said Agassi compared Djokovic with “a boxer and the way that he’s going in for punches and then faking them out a little bit. I think the way (Djokovic) approaches the match is very impressive.”
Jovic is the California-born daughter of a Serbian father and Croatian mother who immigrated to the United States.
It was Jovic’s first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but she seemed poised from the start.
“I think that I kind of went into the match obviously not knowing too much about how it was going to look like in person, having not really hit with her in the past,” Jovic said. “Our first meeting as well.”
“I kind of tried to just bring that middle ground, and I think I have to be able to adapt to the game and what’s necessary for different play styles. I wasn’t able to do that” against Sabalenka.
Jovic revealed her conversations with Djokovic earlier in the tournament. Djokovic confirmed he gave the young American some feedback, saying he was happy to help a player with Serbian heritage.
The 38-year-old Djokovic has stayed in touch.
“Yes, he did text me with some more tips throughout the rounds. I don’t even know what day it is anymore!” Jovic said. “So we’ve been in communication, and I feel like we’ve built a little bit of a relationship now, which is amazing, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
She plans to have more opportunities of her own at Grand Slams in the future.
‘It’s the quarterfinals but, you know, ultimately I hope to be in many quarterfinals,” she said. “So I don’t think this win or loss today is going to make or break my career.”
“Hopefully throughout the year I can keep having more moments with him because it’s been amazing,” Jovic said of Djokovic, the star Serbian who has won 24 Grand Slam singles titles, 10 of them at the Australian Open.
But even Djokovic could not have saved Jovic against Sabalenka in the quarterfinal match.
To be fair, Jovic has been doing just fine on her own, rising quickly in the WTA rankings.
She finished 2024 ranked just inside the top 200. Predicted rankings published Tuesday by the WTA showed her climbing to No. 20 — her highest spot.
Jovic had a chance against Sabalenka in the first set. Sabalenka took a 3-0 lead, but Jovic stayed in the set and had three breakpoint chances in the ninth game trailing 5-3. She lost 6-3 and lost her momentum, losing the second set 6-0.
Jovic referred to a comment that she attributed to Andre Agassi speaking about Djokovic, noting his ability to change styles and keep opponents off balance.
She said Agassi compared Djokovic with “a boxer and the way that he’s going in for punches and then faking them out a little bit. I think the way (Djokovic) approaches the match is very impressive.”
Jovic is the California-born daughter of a Serbian father and Croatian mother who immigrated to the United States.
It was Jovic’s first appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but she seemed poised from the start.
“I think that I kind of went into the match obviously not knowing too much about how it was going to look like in person, having not really hit with her in the past,” Jovic said. “Our first meeting as well.”
“I kind of tried to just bring that middle ground, and I think I have to be able to adapt to the game and what’s necessary for different play styles. I wasn’t able to do that” against Sabalenka.
Jovic revealed her conversations with Djokovic earlier in the tournament. Djokovic confirmed he gave the young American some feedback, saying he was happy to help a player with Serbian heritage.
The 38-year-old Djokovic has stayed in touch.
“Yes, he did text me with some more tips throughout the rounds. I don’t even know what day it is anymore!” Jovic said. “So we’ve been in communication, and I feel like we’ve built a little bit of a relationship now, which is amazing, and I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
She plans to have more opportunities of her own at Grand Slams in the future.
‘It’s the quarterfinals but, you know, ultimately I hope to be in many quarterfinals,” she said. “So I don’t think this win or loss today is going to make or break my career.”
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