Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have signed up New Zealand's Finn Allen as replacement for Josh Philippe for the 14th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL), after the Australian wicketkeeper-batsman made himself unavailable for the entire season due to personal reasons.
Philippe made his debut for the franchise in 2020, playing five matches and scored 78 runs. Wellington's Allen was the top run-getter in Super Smash 2020/21 with 512 runs in 11 matches at an average of 56.88 and a strike-rate of 193.93 with six half-centuries as the side successfully defended their title.
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RCB confirmed the replacement on Twitter, and wrote, "Finn Allen replaces Josh Philippe for #IPL2021. We regret to inform that Josh Philippe has made himself unavailable for IPL 2021 due to personal reasons. As a result, we have picked an exciting top order batsman in Finn Allen. #PlayBold #Classof2021"
Virat Kohli-led RCB will take on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener at Chennai on April 9. The final will be hosted by Ahmedabad on May 30.
