IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals have roped in New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman Glenn Phillips as Jos Buttler’s replacement for the second phase of IPL 2021. The decision comes after Buttler decided to pull out of the remainder of the tournament as he and his wife is expecting the birth of their second child.
Phillips, who is currently with the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which begins next week in the West Indies, is scheduled to join the Royals squad in the UAE on September 19.
Here we go confirmed! 🤪
See you soon in Pink, Glenn. 💗#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/ZBlV161oJf
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 21, 2021
Glenn Phillips grabbed the limelight a 46-ball century against West Indies in Mount Maunganui, breaking Colin Munro’s record for the fastest ton by a New Zealand batter in T20Is. Aside from that, he has also cracked three other centuries in T20 cricket – two for Auckland and one for the Jamaica Tallawahs.
So far, Glenn Phillips has represented New Zealand in 25 T20Is and also had stints in England’s Vitality Blast as well as the Hundred and in the CPL.
Rajasthan Royals placed fifth in the points table
Meanwhile, with Jos Buttler’s absence, the Royals will be without all three of their England stars, with Jofra Archer’s elbow fracture ruling him out of all cricket for the rest of the year, and Ben Stokes taking a break from the game for mental health reasons. The Royals will certainly miss Buttler, who had scored 254 runs at a strike rate of 153.01, including 124 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad before the IPL season came to a halt midway through.
Rajasthan Royals are placed fifth in the points table. They will begin their campaign against Punjab Kings on September 21 when the tournament resumes in the UAE.