McCoy’s excellence, Buttler hundred put Royals in IPL final

AHMEDABAD, India (CMC):

WEST INDIES left-arm seamer Obed McCoy produced an outstanding performance as Rajasthan Royals trounced Royal Challengers Bangalore by seven wickets to surge into Sunday’s final of the Indian Premier League.

The 25-year-old McCoy, with just 13 Twenty20 Internationals to his name, belied his experience with a spell of three for 23 from four overs which helped limit RCB to an insufficient 157 for eight from their 20 overs, despite Rajat Patidar’s 58 off 42 deliveries.

Englishman Jos Buttler then crunched his fourth hundred of the tournament as he steered Royals to victory with an unbeaten 106 off 60 balls, extending his staggering form that has seen him compile 824 runs at an average of 58.

Royals will now clash with Alzarri Joseph’s Gujarat Titans in the final.

Sent in on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium – also the venue for the final – RCB lost stroke-maker Virat Kohli cheaply for seven in the second over but were revived by Patidar who put on 70 for the second wicket with captain Faf du Plessis (25) and a further 32 for the third wicket with Australian Glenn Maxwell (24).

Patidar, who hit an unbeaten hundred against Lucknow Super Giants last week, continued his great form by counting four fours and three sixes.

Once he perished in the 16th over, the innings tailed away as McCoy and new-ball pacer Prasidh Krishna (3-22) controlled the back end for Royals.

BRILLIANT LAST OVER

McCoy, who had earlier claimed the wicket of South African du Plessis, holing out to short third man in the 11th over, then knocked over Mahipal Lomror (8) in the 18th over before getting Harshal Patel for one in a brilliant last over which cost only three runs.

Buttler then tore into RCB’s attack, racing to his fifty off a mere 23 balls and before completing his sixth T20 hundred off 59 balls at the end of the 18twh over.

Along the way, he put on 61 for the first wicket with Yashasvi Jaiswal (21), 52 for the second with Sanju Samson (23) and a further 35 for the third wicket with Devdutt Padikkal (9).

West Indies left-handed Shimron Hetmyer was there at the end unbeaten on two.