IPL: Jos Buttler smashes another hundred for Rajasthan Royals as he eyes Virat Kohli’s run record

Jos Buttler crunched yet another hundred on Friday to take his incredible year in Twenty20 cricket to another level.

The England star struck 118 for Rajasthan Royals, meaning he has now recorded four of the last six individual hundreds at the Indian Premier League.

The 31-year-old’s 65-ball innings against Delhi in Mumbai – his second of the week – was studded with nine six and nine other boundaries.

It was his fifth three-figure score in 20-over cricket in the past 12 months. Prior to this annus mirabilis, he did not have a single 100-plus score to his name.

Jos Buttler struck 118 for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Capitals in IPL on Friday night 

Amongst Englishmen, only Luke Wright, with seven, has more Twenty20 career hundreds and his extraordinary consistency has put him on course to break Virat Kohli’s record of 973 runs in an IPL season six years ago – he is more than halfway there, on 491 after just seven games.

Here, England captain in waiting Ben Stokes stepped up his rehabilitation from a knee injury by bowling in the nets at the Emirates Riverside as Durham entertained Nottinghamshire.

Stokes, 30, opted out of IPL contention to focus on Test cricket and fears that a knee injury would jeopardise his participation in the home series with New Zealand from June 2 were allayed when scans came back all clear earlier this month.

And he appeared to get through a lengthy spell at Durham team-mate Graham Clark without experiencing discomfort.

Another run feat that could topple in the next few weeks is being pursued by Derbyshire’s Pakistan batter Shan Masood.

The England star has now recorded four of the last six individual hundreds in the IPL

He is also more than halfway towards Virat Kohli’s record of 973 runs in a single IPL campaign

Not since Graeme Hick in 1988 has a player made it to 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May but Masood’s second double hundred in as many innings – against Leicestershire at Grace Road – has seen him surge beyond 600.

The 32-year-old has the remainder of this match plus fixtures against Glamorgan, Worcestershire and Nottinghamshire to place himself in some illustrious company. The four-figure dash has not been completed for 34 years, and among the eight who have managed it are WG Grace, Wally Hammond, Sir Donald Bradman and Bill Edrich.

Test hopeful Josh Bohannon struck the fourth hundred of his career for Lancashire versus Gloucestershire at a blustery Emirates Old Trafford.

At the Kia Oval, Somerset captain Tom Abell overturned a chronic lack of form to hit an unbeaten 150 off Surrey’s attack.

Abell had averaged just 5.7 across his previous 13 first-class innings, with a top score of 14.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire were awaiting news of recently-capped England seamer Matt Fisher’s back scan. Steven Patterson’s team dominated proceedings against Northamptonshire without the 24-year-old, opening up a 92-run lead on first innings at Wantage Road.