IPL 2021: RCB sign Finn Allen as Josh Philippe's replacement
Royal Challengers Bangalore have signed New Zealand wicket-keeper-batsman Finn Allen as a replacement for Australia's Josh Philippe. According to a franchise release, Philippe will be unavailable for the entire season. The 21-year-old Allen has been acquired for a base price of Rs. 20 lakh, the same as that of Philippe. Here we present the key details.
Reason for Philippe's absence isn't clear
Philippe had an underwhelming start to his IPL career, making his debut for RCB in 2020. He played five games, scoring just 78 runs. There is no clarity as to why Philippe will miss the IPL 2021 season. The Australian wicket-keeper scored two 40-plus scores in the recently concluded T20I series against New Zealand.
A look at Finn Allen's career
Allen has played 12 FC matches, scoring 343 runs with a best of 66. He has an average of 19.05. In 20 List A matches, he has racked up 501 runs at 25.05. He has one ton and a fifty in List A matches. In 13 T20s, Allen has 537 runs at 48.81. He has six fifties with a best of 92*.
Finn will be hoping to prove his mettle for RCB
Finn will hope to grab his chance top of the order for RCB in IPL 2021. His strike rate of 183.27 in T20 cricket highlights his aggression. The right-handed batsman recently scored 128 for Wellington in List A cricket. Playing against the top bowlers in the world will surely test his mettle in the IPL. He will be excited to play alongside mega stars.
We had to select the next best option: RCB
RCB also said that they had to select the next best option as Philippe's replacement. "We had to select the next best option from the list of players registered for the IPL auction, at the same base price as Josh (20 lakh). We spent a great amount of time working through that potential list and have selected Finn Allen as a top-order batting replacement."
RCB disappointed to lose Philippe
"The RCB management is disappointed to lose a player of Josh's calibre for this IPL season, but at the same time we fully understand, respect and support his decision of excluding himself from the tournament," the franchise said in a statement.
Finn says there are no expectations regarding the IPL
Finn said there are no expectations as he wants to enjoy what he's doing. He also said his focus is to win the title for Wellington at the moment. Finch added that going to the IPL would be amazing and it was his dream for a long time now. He hopes to get picked up in the team and highlighted there aren't any expectations.
