IPL 2022: Incredible watching Jos Buttler bat, says RR's Devdutt Padikkal

Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Devdutt Padikkal has heaped praise on his opening partner Jos Buttler after their win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Friday.

Buttler recorded his second straight century in the IPL 2022 as RR defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 15 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. The English hitter has scored three tons already in the tournament, with his previous two coming against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

On Friday, Buttler powered RR to 222 runs with his 65-ball 116. RR's other opener Padikkal also made a significant contribution with 54 off 35 deliveries. RR skipper Sanju Samson produced a cameo with his unbeaten 19-ball 46.

"It was just incredible watching him bat. He is playing the best Cricket anyone has in IPL. To see him enjoy himself and go after the bowling from ball one is great to watch," said Padikkal in a post-match discussion with pacer Prasidh Krishna.

Referring to his previous innings in the tournament, Padikkal said that he was glad to finally convert a good start into a good score.

Jos Buttler: I love Wankhade Stadium

Meanwhile, Buttler, who started his IPL career with MI, called his century at Wankhede Stadium a "special knock" as he loves the stadium.

"It was a special knock, enjoyed it. I love this stadium, it was a fantastic atmosphere, my first IPL was here with the Mumbai Indians. I am enjoying the best form of my life, I need to continue with this form all the way through. The ball swung in the first over and it was a bit tricky. You need to soak up that pressure and come through it. Once you get through it, the confidence comes back.

We have managed to build such good partnerships, Devdutt played well from the other end, and we decided to attack and put the pressure back on Delhi. The wickets may change, there are going to be used wickets with only four grounds in the tournament. There wasn't any dew tonight, the teams might favour batting first if the conditions are different. Everyone will need to adapt as the tournament goes on," Buttler said in the post-match presentation on Friday.

DC needed 36 runs off the final over with Rovman Powell on strike. The West Indian struck three back to back sixes and pushed the pressure back on RR. While he struck the third delivery of the over for a huge six, the entire DC camp was left furious as they reckoned the umpire should have signaled a no ball for height. Things escalated fast as DC's assistant coach was seen barging into the field to speak to the umpire. DC captain Rishbh Pant was also seen asking his players to walk out of the field.

When the play resumed, Powell had lost the moment as he missed the next delivery, and took a double on the fifth ball before getting out.

RR now have a three-day break before their next IPL 2022 fixture, which is against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Tuesday at MCA Stadium, Pune. DC, on the other hand, are set to next take on KKR on Thursday (April 28) in Mumbai.