Buttler powers Gujarat to top of the IPL while Lucknow stuns Rajasthan by 2 runs

AHMEDABAD, India (AP) — Jos Buttler scored 97 not out off 54 balls as Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals by seven wickets and moved atop the Indian Premier League on Saturday.

Buttler never had a crack at the century in the last over, when 10 runs were needed, because teammate Rahul Tewatia smashed a six and a four off the first two balls.

Elsewhere, pacer Avesh Khan bowled a tremendous final over for Lucknow Super Giants to stun hosts Rajasthan Royals by a slender two runs in Jaipur.

Khan defended nine needed off six balls, conceding only six even as the drama was wound up by teammates dropping a catch and fumbling away a second run.

Rajasthan squandered a winning position from 156-2 after 17 overs and finished on 178-5 in reply to Lucknow's 180-5, powered by Aiden Markram and Ayush Badoni fifties.

Buttler missed out on a record-equalling eighth hundred as he hit 11 fours and four sixes to complete Gujarat's chase with four balls to spare.

Sherfane Rutherford, 43 off 34, combined with Buttler for 119 off 69 for the third wicket — the stand underpinning Gujarat's 204-3 in 19.2 overs.

This was after Delhi Capitals made 203-8 led by skipper Axar Patel's 39 off 32.

Gujarat replaced Delhi on top of the table on run-rate.

Chasing a tall score, Gujarat lost skipper Shubman Gill, run out for 7. But that brought in Buttler, and he shared 60 off 35 with Sai Sudharsan for the second wicket.

Sudharsan scored 36 off 21 to the eighth over and Gujarat was at a comfortable 74-2.

Buttler reached 50 off 32 and picked up the scoring pace in Rutherford’s company. After they achieved Gujarat's highest third-wicket partnership, the game took a sudden twist at the finish.

Rutherford was out caught in the penultimate over off Mukesh Kumar, leaving 10 needed off the last six deliveries. But Buttler was stranded on 97 when two big blows by Tewatia off Mitchell Starc finished the match.

Earlier, Delhi struggled, espcially against pacer Prasidh Krishna, who picked up 4-41 in four overs.

The big moment came when Krishna trapped Lokesh Rahul for 28 off 14 in the fifth over.

The best stand was between Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs of 53 off 36. Ashutosh Sharma’s cameo — 37 off 19 with three sixes — pushed Delhi across 200.

Opting to bat, Lucknow lost the in-form Mitchell Marsh (4) and tournament top-scorer Nicholas Pooran (11) early. Skipper Rishabh Pant fell for 3 and Lucknow slipped to 54-3 in 7.4 overs.

Markram, though, held one end, and rebuilt the innings with Badoni.

South African batter Markram scored 50 off 31, hitting three sixes and five fours, in his fourth half-century of the season. Badoni powered to 50 off 34, including five fours and a six.

Both perished in the space of 11 deliveries to leave Lucknow at 143-5, but Abdul Samad stepped in and smacked four sixes off the last four deliveries to finish the innings on a high.

Rajasthan began its chase by debuting 14-year-old opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest IPL cricketer. He didn’t show any nerves, smacking his first ball for a six.

Filling in for the injured Sanju Samson, Suryavanshi scored 34 off 20 balls before he was stumped while fellow opener Yashasvi Jaiswal fired his fourth half-century, 74 off 52.

Jaiswal and Suryavanshi shared 85 off 52, then Jaiswal and stand-in skipper Riyan Parag added another 62 off 43 to have Rajasthan cruising.

Then Jaiswal and Parag fell to yorkers by Khan in the 18th over.

Khan bowled the final over as well, and took another wicket in a dramatic save.

“Don't know what we did wrong,” Parag said. “The last over was unfortunate.”

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Rajasthan Royals' Vaibhav Suryavanshi plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' Avesh Khan, right, calls for a physio after hurting his hand fielding on the last ball of the Indian Premier League cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Sunday, April 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Lucknow Super Giants' Avesh Khan appeals successfully for the wicket of Rajasthan Royals' captain Riyan Parag during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Surjeet Yadav)

Gujarat Titans' Jos Butler and Sherfane Rutherford run between the wickets to score during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Jos Butler gets medical attention after a muscle pain during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Jos Butler plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Rahul Tewatia with batting partner Jos Butler celebrates after wining against Delhi Capitals during the Indian Premier League cricket match at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans' Jos Butler plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, April 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Franco Colapinto says replacing another Formula 1 driver during the season is “never nice circumstances” and he doesn’t believe his five-race deal with Alpine is long enough.

After Australian rookie Jack Doohan was dropped amid wider upheaval at Alpine, Colapinto was promoted from a reserve role last week to partner Pierre Gasly starting this week at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Colapinto, who drove nine races with Williams last year, has a commitment from Alpine that he'll get only the next five races to show what he can do. He said that might not be enough time to shake off the rust.

“Everything is new again, we start from zero," Colapinto said Thursday. "Of course, it wasn’t the nicest, after doing the last nine races of last year, to kind of step out. It was not what I wanted, but it was a good time to kind of reflect on what happened last year and to learn from it.

“Happy to be back, and of course never nice circumstances when it happens like this, when you step in another driver’s seat, but you never really choose the moment you do it in Formula 1.”

The 21-year-old Colapinto is back in Italy where he made his F1 debut last year when Williams dropped struggling American driver Logan Sargeant before the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

This time, the Argentine says he feels more relaxed — even if he is “a bit rusty, maybe” — and delighted to be back, with strong backing from South American fans.

“Monza was like a massive excitement and everything was new, and it was the first time I was going to be a part of a Formula 1 week," he said. "So here it feels a bit different. It’s still my dream come true so the feelings are the same.”

Alpine has promised Colapinto only five races followed by “a new evaluation” in July, so he needs to make the sort of quick impact he did with Williams last year, scoring points in his second race.

Still, he said, that might not be enough for Alpine to see him at his best. Colapinto flagged up comments this year by the experienced Spanish driver Carlos Sainz Jr. that he might need as many as 10 races to get used to his new car after switching from Ferrari to Williams.

“After you’ve heard Carlos saying that he needs 10 races to get used to a car, I think five is not enough for me (after) I drove nine in all my life in F1,” Colapinto said. “So it probably takes me a few more races, probably a couple more than five, to get up to speed and maximize everything out of the car. But it is what I have and I just want to maximize it, enjoy it and try to do the best for the team."

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Alpine driver Franco Colapinto of Argentina answers reporters during a news conference at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari racetrack, ahead the Italy's Emilia Romagna Formula One Grand Prix in Imola, Italy, Thursday, May 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)