England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler struck an unbeaten 97 to guide Gujarat Titans to a seven-wicket triumph over Delhi Capitals and secure the top spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) table in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

Buttler, who represented Gujarat, crafted his 54-ball innings with finesse, peppering it with eleven fours and four sixes. He guided his side to the target of 204 with four deliveries left at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket ground.

Alongside left-hand West Indies batter and impact substitute Sherfane Rutherford, who struck 43, Buttler built a pivotal 119-run partnership that powered Gujarat to their fifth win in seven matches. Delhi, as a result, fell to second in the ten-team standings.

Rutherford lost his wicket in the penultimate over. Delhi’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc then faced the task of defending ten runs in the final over. However, left-hander Rahul Tewatia dispatched a six and a four to finish the match.

Buttler, who secured his third half-century of the season, fell just three runs short of a century that would have brought him level with Virat Kohli’s record of eight IPL hundreds. He had also completed a full twenty overs behind the stumps under punishing heat, effecting two catches.

Gujarat, who captured the IPL title in their debut campaign of 2022, opted to field first in sweltering conditions as the temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.

Delhi reached 203 for 8 in their innings, a total that might have soared higher had it not been curtailed by Gujarat pace bowler Prasidh Krishna, who claimed four wickets. Krishna, now the leading wicket-taker of the season, increased his tally to 14.

Delhi skipper Axar Patel provided the highest score for his side with 39, while KL Rahul contributed 28 before being trapped lbw by Krishna with a pinpoint yorker. Krishna returned in the ninth over to end Karun Nair’s innings.

Veteran pacer Ishant Sharma bowled two overs before retreating to the dugout, overwhelmed by the heat. He returned for another over but again exited and was substituted, finishing with figures of one for 19.

Tristan Stubbs added 31 to Delhi’s total before Krishna dismissed both Axar and Vipraj Nigam with successive deliveries, narrowly missing a hat-trick. Ashutosh Sharma contributed a late 37 to boost the score.

During Gujarat’s chase, skipper Shubman Gill was run out for seven in the second over after a direct hit from Nair. The innings stabilised through the left-right combination of Sai Sudharsan and Buttler, who put together a 60-run stand.

Sudharsan scored 36 before falling to left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, after which Buttler found a dependable partner in Rutherford, who countered the bowling attack with three sixes.