GT’s innings kicked off steadily until Sai Sudharsan fell for 12 in the 2.1 over. Enter Buttler, who partnered with Shubman Gill to plunder 60 runs off 32 balls for the second wicket. His highlights included a towering six off Mukesh Kumar in the third over, one off Axar Patel, and a hat-trick of maximums in the fifth over against the unfortunate pacer.

Ending the powerplay at 68/1, GT now ranks third in their own IPL powerplay tallies, behind the explosive 82/0 versus Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2025 and 78/0 against LSG in 2023. Buttler’s knock of 52 from 27 balls, laced with three boundaries, underscores his status as one of T20’s premier hitters.

In the broader IPL context, these five sixes are the second-most by a non-opener in a powerplay, trailing only Suresh Raina’s identical haul in 2014. With stars like Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, and a lethal bowling attack, GT looks primed to dominate. Delhi’s response, led by KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav, will be crucial in this high-stakes encounter.