England's Jos Buttler continued his incredible form at this year's Indian Premier League with 116 from 65 balls - his third century of the season.
He becomes only the second player to make three tons in an IPL season after Virat Kohli, who hit four in 2016.
It is also the 31-year-old's second hundred in succession and included nine fours and nine sixes in Rajasthan Royals' 222-2 against Delhi Capitals.
Delhi lost regular wickets in their chase, coming up 15 runs short.
Buttler has scored 491 runs in seven innings in the 2022 IPL at an average of 81.83.
With seven more group stage matches to play - plus potential fixtures in the play-off stages - Buttler could break India batter Kohli's 2016 haul of 973 runs - the record for a single IPL campaign.
His ton follows 103 against Kolkata Knight Riders in his last match and 100 against Mumbai Indians earlier in the campaign. He has hit four centuries in his past eight IPL innings, including the 2021 campaign.
Against the Capitals, Buttler reached his fifty from 36 balls and took only another 21 to reach three figures, including a towering 105m six over long-on.
He was eventually caught at long-on off the bowling of Mustafizur Rahman in the penultimate over.
Rishabh Pant (44 off 24), David Warner (28 off 14) and Prithvi Shaw (37 off 27) gave Delhi a fighting chance of chasing down Rajasthan's huge total and they went into the final over needing 36 to win.
Rovman Powell hit three sixes off the first three deliveries from fellow West Indian Obed McCoy before a high full toss from the fourth ball led to a heated exchange between the Delhi team and the umpires, with a Capitals official even coming onto the pitch to argue that it was a no ball.
Powell (36 off 15) fell to McCoy's final delivery as Rajasthan closed out victory.
"Everyone was frustrated because it was not even close, so I thought it was a no ball. Everyone in the ground saw that," Delhi skipper Pant said after the match.
"Obviously it wasn't right, but what happened with us was also not right. It was just the heat of the moment."
Source: BBC
BDST: 1344 HRS, April 23, 2022
SMS
