VIDEO | Rahul Tripathi gets ‘Buttlered’ as Anrich Nortje sends stumps cartwheeling

Prior to IPL 2020, Anrich Nortje was renowned for his pace, but the 26-year-old seamer, through his performance thus far in the competition, has made heads turn. For the first few games, he turned up the heat, but he peaked in the game versus Rajasthan Royals in Dubai where he clocked the fastest ball in IPL history. But more than the fastest ball, it was Nortje’s battle versus Buttler that made the newspapers, with the South African eventually castling the Englishman with a 155 kph rocket.

10 days later, today in Abu Dhabi, the right-arm quick recreated the Buttler dismissal, and at the receiving end of his grenade was KKR’s Rahul Tripathi. Having gotten smacked for a boundary in the first ball of the 6th over by Tripathi - a slice through extra-cover - Nortje, on the fourth ball of the over, returned with vengeance. Knowing very well that the right-hander has a weakness against pace, the 26-year-old steamed in and delivered a 148 kph rocket. 

The problem for Tripathi was that this was not ‘just another delivery’. This was a Nortje trademark, one that’s supposed to castle the stumps. As Tripathi looked to free his arms and work the ball towards the on-side, Nortje, with all that arm power of his, thrust the ball into the right-hander. The ball, initially, looked like it was coming into Tripathi, but soon, it swung late, passed his bat, and clattered the stumps. The batsman did not do too much wrong, but so good and quick was the delivery that it floored not one, but two stumps. 

Let’s just say that Tripathi was Buttlered.