Last year’s runners-up Rajasthan posted 199-4 after an attacking 98-run opening stand between the left-handed Jaiswal (60) and Buttler (79) in their second home at Guwahati.
New Zealand’s left-arm quick Trent Boult led the bowling charge with a double-wicket maiden over to restrict Delhi to 142-9 as Rajasthan bounced back from their previous loss. Boult and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets each. Rajasthan, who won the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008 under late Australian great Shane Warne, have won two of their three matches to lead the 10-team T20 tournament.David Warner’s Delhi slumped to their third loss of the season in as many matches.
The left-hander made 65 and got past 6,000 IPL runs but his valiant knock got little support from the other end. Delhi’s Rovman Powell fell for two after he made the XI in place of Australian import Mitchell Marsh, who flew back home for his wedding and will return in a week.
Jaiswal, 21, provided Rajasthan with an explosive start after being invited to bat first, the rising Indian opener smashing five boundaries in the opening over.
Buttler, who batted with stitches on his finger after getting hurt while fielding in the previous match, soon took over as he hit Anrich Nortje for three straight fours in the next over.
Rajasthan lost their way in the middle but Buttler, who reached his second 50 of the season with a six, soon changed gears with Shimron Hetmyer (39 not out).
Buttler, who got the orange cap for leading the season’s batting chart, was later substituted by spinner Murugan Ashwin under the new impact player rule.
BRIEF SCORES
Rajasthan Royals 199 for 4 (Buttler 79, Jaiswal 60, Mukesh 2-36) beat Delhi Capitals 142 for 9 (Warner 65, Chahal 3-27, Boult 3-29) by 57 runs.
Jadeja, Rahane help Chennai floor Mumbai
Spinner Ravindra Jadeja’s 3-20 and a bludgeoning 61 by Ajinkya Rahane guided Chennai Super Kings to an emphatic seven-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in the El Classico of IPL yesterday. Rahane made an impactful debut for Chennai with a fastest fifty this Indian Premier League season in 19 balls as the four-time winners achieved their victory target of 158 in 18.1 overs in Mumbai.Coming one down after the fall of Devon Conway for a duck, Rahane tore into the Mumbai attack, which was without Jofra Archer after the England pace bowler was rested due to discomfort in his elbow.
Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma said Archer, who returned to the team in the previous match after missing last season, not playing was “just a precaution”.
Rohit said he would want five-time champions Mumbai to come out of the slump after losing their two matches this season. Chennai’s England stars including Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali missed out due to injuries and South Africans Dwaine Pretorius and Sisanda Magala made the team.
But Jadeja made an impression with his left-arm spin as he got the key wickets of Ishan Kishan (32), Cameron Green, out for 12 after an excellent caught and bowled, and Tilak Varma (22).
Jadeja was ably supported by New Zealand left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner, who returned figures of 2-28 including getting T20 sensation Suryakumar Yadav caught behind for one.
Tim David’s late cameo of 31 boosted Mumbai’s total but was still not enough to challenge the Chennai batting.
Rahane, who was signed by Chennai for his base price of $61,094 in the December auction, smashed seven fours and three sixes in his 27-ball blitz.
Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad made an unbeaten 40 to move to the top of the batting chart with 189 runs this season as he jumped over Buttler and David Warner
BRIEF SCORES
Mumbai Indians 157 for 8 (Kishan 32, Jadeja 3-20, Santner 2-28, Deshpande 2-31) lost to Chennai Super Kings 159 for 3 (Rahane 61, Gaikwad 40*, Kartikeya 1-24) by seven wickets.