Jos Buttler's maiden Twenty20 century has propelled Rajasthan Royals to an imposing 55-run victory over a depleted Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the Indian Premier League.
Kane Williamson, taking over the captaincy from David Warner, couldn't change Hyderabad's fortunes in New Delhi on Sunday with the team still on just one win out of seven games at the halfway stage of the tournament.
In the later game in Ahmedabad, Shikhar Dhawan's third IPL half-century of the season lifted Delhi Capitals to the top of the table as they beat injury-hit Punjab Kings by seven wickets.
In Delhi, Buttler's powerful hitting in the latter half of the Rajasthan innings saw the Englishman score 124 off 64 balls as he propelled his team's total to 3-220.
Hyderabad, who dropped Australian Warner, then always lagged behind the huge target and finished at 8-165.
Left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman picked up 3-20 while multi-million dollar signing Chris Morris took 3-29 for Rajasthan.
Buttler expertly navigated Hyderabad's move to use ace legspinner Rashid Khan (1-24) within the first 11 overs of the innings.
Buttler watchfully played out the spinner and raised his half-century off 40 balls with four boundaries and two sixes.
Buttler shared an impressive 150-run stand with captain Sanju Samson (48) before the latter was caught on the edge of the boundary at long-off in the 17th over.
Once Khan bowled his quota, Buttler scored freely against Hyderabad's fast bowlers, scoring his last 74 runs off only 25 balls, hitting seven boundaries and six sixes in the process.
Fast bowler Sandeep Sharma eventually clean bowled the Englishman in the penultimate over, but not before Buttler had smacked the fast bowler for three sixes in the same over.
Rajasthan kept taking wickets at regular intervals once Manish Pandey (31) and Jonny Bairstow (30) saw off the batting powerplay by putting on a 57-run opening-wicket stand.
Williamson (20) was well deceived by Kartik Tyagi and holed out in the deep in the 13th over.
In the later game, Punjab suffered a setback when regular skipper Lokesh Rahul was ruled out after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis.
He was rushed to hospital in Ahmedabad and the franchise said the issue "will be resolved surgically ... for safety measures he has been transferred to the hospital."
Punjab's stand-in captain Mayank Agarwal replaced Rahul as an opener and his unbeaten 99 off 58 balls was the cornerstone of his team's total of 6-166.
Delhi's premier fast bowler Kagiso Rabada (3-36) removed dangerman Chris Gayle (13) within the batting powerplay and finished off with the wicket of Chris Jordan.
Dhawan's 69 not out came off 47 balls and he hit six fours and two sixes as Delhi raced to 3-167 with more than two overs to spare.
Dhawan is the tournament's leading run-scorer and continued his sublime form after Prithvi Shaw again provided a quickfire start with a 22-ball 39.
Australian Associated Press
