IPL 2018 | Found some good form and I'm trying to keep it going, says Jos Buttler

Mumbai Indians are lions in their own den when they play at the Wankhede and winning matches on their home turf is never an easy ask for any team in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals went into last night’s match as definite underdogs but emerged as worthy winners on the night with just one man to thank, former MI batsman Jos Buttler.

Buttler was the standout performer last night as he continued his strong form with the bat after being promoted up the order to open the innings. He hit a stunning 94* off just 53 balls to comfortably reach the target of 169 set by the home team with 2 overs to spare. The English cricketer was quick to add that he just wants to continue his good form with the bat as RR aim for a play-off spot.

"It's a dream come true. Found some good form and I'm trying to keep it going. Bit of do-or-die situation for us but I'm very confident so want to keep it going. I've spent a lot of time batting in the middle order, so I try to be there till the end," man-of-the-match Buttler said in a post-match conference.

Buttler equaled former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag’s record of five consecutive half-centuries last night and looks set to continue with some brilliant knocks at the top of the batting order. The English wicket-keeper heaped praise on his bowlers as well, who managed to restrict MI to just 168/7 despite them getting off to a good start in the powerplay.

"Our bowlers bowled very well and restricted them to about 15 runs less. The familiarity of the ground and the wicket helped me today. Looking forward to the next game," he added.

Meanwhile, RR’s win over the home team meant that they leapfrog their opponents to fifth place on par with Kolkata Knight Riders who have a superior run-rate. But despite the win, RR skipper Ajinkya Rahane was adamant that his players could have performed better while fielding.

"Great win for all of us. 168-169 on this wicket was 10-15 runs short. Jofra's couple of wickets in that over changed the game actually. We didn't get a partnership in the earlier games but we knew that if we get one early on, it'll be easy to chase. The discussion before the game was to get used to the wicket as soon as possible. There's room for improvement in the fielding department. I want the boys to stand up and do well in that," Rahane said at the post match presentation ceremony.