IPL 2022: Morne Morkel all praise for Jos Buttler

Bengaluru, April 5: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 franchise Rajasthan Royals' (RR) star opener Jos Buttler has got thumbs up from former South Africa quick Mornie Morkel who believes the Englishman is one of those best batters who can put the opposing captain's plans and strategies in disarray with his destructive batting.

"Jos the Boss... Sometimes the bowling unit needs to say it's his day and enjoy the show. But you need to find a way (to dismiss a batsman like him) early.

In his century knock against Mumbai, he played exceptionally," said Morkel in the Cricket Love show on Star Sports (official broadcaster of IPL 2022) about Buttler about the RR batter's match-winning century against Mumbai Indians (MI) in his IPL 2022 tie.

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Buttler's breezy knock did the heavy lifting in Royals' mammoth total of 193 for eight, a total that proved comfortably beyond Mumbai, despite the best efforts of teenager Tilak Varma (61).

"He played all the shots and all around the ground. He took his time initially to get used to the pace and bounce but after that, he hit down the ground and square of the wickets. You just can't stop him," Morkel added.

When asked about the lines which the bowling unit needs to target against a player like Buttler, Morkel said, "It's just the quality of a player. That's why teams pay big dollars for players like Buttler to put pressure on the bowling attack.

He's a guy that if you don't get him early, he will take the game away completely and destroys all the plans the opposing captain makes."

Buttler had 26 runs in a dizzying fourth over alone and later put on 82 with captain Sanju Samson (30) for the third wicket in the biggest partnership of the match.

After being sent into bat, Buttler hit a whirlwind 100 off 68 balls, only his second ton in the history of the IPL. He struck 11 boundaries and five sixes during his stupendous knock.

Besides Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer (35 off 14) looked in destructive form while skipper Sanju Samson (30 off 21) too got a start. Jasprit Bumrah (3/17) was the pick of the bowlers for MI.

Chasing the total, Tilak Verma smashed 61 off 33 balls, while opener Ishan Kishan made 54 off 43 balls but it was not enough to guide MI home as they finished at 170 for eight.

Yuzvendra Chahal once again shone bright with the ball picking up two wickets for 26 runs from his four overs.

The Royals would aim to build on their promising start to the season when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 13 of IPL 2022 on Tuesday (April 5).

Bangalore, led by Faf Du Plessis, head into the match after a narrow three-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders and would be looking to be more convincing. The Wankhede track has been aiding the pacers initially and both the teams can take advantage of it.

Game on! Bring it on! Match starts at 7.30pm IST and will be aired live on Star Sports Networks.

(With inputs from Agencies)