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The target of 204 was daunting against a strong Royals attack, and Trent Boult killed any hope of a successful chase by beginning with a double-wicket maiden.

Yuzvendra Chahal then ran through the Sunrisers with a four-wicket haul. The margin of defeat was a blow to the Sunrisers’ net run rate, eerily similar to how their 2022 season began.

Buttler begins like a boss

Jaiswal raced to 24 off 11 balls before Buttler raised his tempo even more, smacking Washington Sundar for successive sixes over midwicket and T Natarajan for four fours in five balls.

Buttler then hit three fours in four balls off Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi to bring up his fifty off 20 balls.

By the time Buttler fell, Royals were 85 for 1 in 5.5 overs. Jaiswal then picked up the pace while Samson settled in; and Samson kept the momentum going when Jaiswal was dismissed for 54.

He looked set for a huge score but was superbly caught by Abhishek Sharma on the edge of the long-on boundary for 55.

Shimron Hetmyer hits down the ground•Apr 02, 2023•BCCI

Adil Rashid’s tidy spell in the middle overs, combined with improved second spells from Natarajan and Farooqi reduced the flow of runs. At one stage it seemed like Royals might fall just short of 200, but a late cameo from Shimron Hetmyer gave them 203. (ESPNcricinfo)

That was despite Alonso being tagged into a spin at a restart with two laps to go and dropped to the back.

Under FIA regulations, the finishing positions were taken from the last restart, with the cars then having to complete a final lap behind the safety car.

To add to the controversy, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was given a five-second penalty for causing the decisive crash at the first corner by tagging Alonso’s car, dropping him from fourth to 12th and out of the points.

Hamilton was steeled for a scrap in Melbourne but was denied the opportunity due to a third red flag (Photo: AFP)

An emotional Sainz described that decision as “unacceptable”, adding: “They need to wait until after the race and discuss with me. Clearly the penalty is not deserved. It is too severe.”

The Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were the other big losers from the official decisions – they took the penultimate restart fifth and 10th but crashed into each other and retired at the second corner.

The unprecedented events will lead to controversy that F1 is putting showbusiness before sport.

There is a direct line from the final laps of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021 – when officials made errors that changed the course of the world championship fight between Verstappen and Hamilton – to these events, as the final red flag was thrown to try to ensure the grand prix would finish under racing conditions.

Ironically, that desire led to the final, bizarre and confusing climax, and a race that instead ended under a safety car.

The first-corner crash led the FIA to make a decision that a lap had taken place but that most of the events during it had had no effect, other than the crash between the Alpines.

Verstappen’s win, coupled with a fifth place for his team-mate Sergio Perez after the Mexican started from the back, extended the Dutchman’s championship lead to 15 points. (BBC)