They not just took captaincy away from David Warner, but also axed him from the XI. Yet, there’s no reversal of fortunes for Sunrisers Hyderabad, who suffered yet another defeat, this time under new captain Kane Williamson.
The 55-run loss to Rajasthan Royals at the Kotla on Sunday was their sixth in seven matches and they remain doomed at rock bottom. They may now need to win all their remaining matches in order to keep their playoff chances alive. Almost an impossible task.
For the Royals, riding on Jos Buttler’s superb 124, the win comes as a relief and thanks to the sizeable margin, their net run rate too has improved.
Buttler, struggling for rhythm since the ODIs versus India, took his time to settle down and once he got into his groove, he unleashed some of his trademark shots to which the Sunrisers bowling attack, despite the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, had no answers. It was his century and the crucial 150-run stand for the second wicket with captain Sanju Samson that laid the foundation for the Royals’ massive total of 220/3 after being put in.
It appeared captain Williamson erred in finishing off Rashid Khan’s quota of four overs too early as in the later overs, none of the Sunrisers bowlers looked good enough to restrict Buttler.
