Jos Buttler blasted a brutal half-century to help Rajasthan Royals thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by 72 runs in a one-sided Indian Premier League clash at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday.
The England one-day captain smashed 54 off 22 balls – with Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Sanju Samson also reaching their half-centuries – to help the Royals reach an imposing 203-5.
Hyderabad never looked like threatening that total after New Zealand pacer Trent Boult struck twice in his first over and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal finished with 4-17 as the hosts were restricted to 131-8.
It was an impressive start to the campaign for last year's runners-up and the inaugural IPL champions, who hurtled out of the blocks thanks to Buttler and Jaiswal.
The opening pair put on 85 in less than six overs before Buttler was bowled by Afghanistan left-arm pace bowler Fazalhaq Farooqui after an explosive knock that included seven fours and three sixes.
Samson (55 runs from 32 balls) soon took charge then with Jaiswal (54 from 37) for company as they piled on the runs.
“It is a fantastic start for us,” said Buttler. “We had a really good season last season but it counts for nothing this year."
Hyderabad were never in the chase after Boult bowled Abhishek Sharma for a duck and then Jason Holder clung on to a superb catch at slip off Boult to send back Rahul Tripathi also without troubling the scorer.
Wickets kept tumbling, including Harry Brook (13) and Glenn Phillips (eight). Bringing on big hitter Abdul Samad as an “impact player” only reduced the margin of loss as he top-scored with an unbeaten 32.
The impact player, who can only be an Indian unless the team has fewer than four overseas players in their XI, is chosen from one of five substitutes listed with the team.
Buttler was the leading batsman in the last IPL season with 863 runs including four centuries, and he then led England to a T20 World Cup triumph in 2022.
And he already looks in good form again just one game into the new IPL campaign. “I am really enjoying my batting at the moment and trying to keep a clear mind," Buttler added. "Keeping a clear mind and once you get a good start in the power play, it allows you to be aggressive.”
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
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RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
