IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals announced their first replacement player ahead of the UAE leg in 2021. Rajasthan Royals (RR) have signed New Zealand’s Glenn Phillips to replace Jos Butler. The right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman is currently part of the Barbados Royals franchise in the CPL.
The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman is a specialist T20 cricketer. He has previously played in various cricket leagues around the world. He has played in CPL and Abu Dhabi T-10 League. The top-order batsman has scored 506 runs in 25 T20s with a strike rate of 149.70. He has even recently played in The Hundred and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
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Phillips has never played in the IPL before. He is one of only five players to score more than 200 runs in the opening season of The Hundred recently. Phillips, who will play for Barbados Tridents in this year’s Caribbean Premier League, also has four T20 centuries in T20 cricket.
Here we go confirmed! 🤪
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 21, 2021
See you soon in Pink, Glenn. đź’—#HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/ZBlV161oJf
Rajasthan Royals To Miss Their Main Overseas Players In UAE IPL:
IPL 2021 was postponed in May due to the growing COVID-19 epidemic in India and multiple cases of IPL bio-bubbles. However, the BCCI has recently announced that the remaining 31 matches of IPL 2021 will be resumed in the UAE from September 19.
However, the franchise will not get their main foreign players for the rest of the IPL to be held in the UAE. England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Butler will miss the remaining part of the Indian Premier League due to the impending birth of his second child, his team Rajasthan Royals announced on Saturday.
Jos Buttler will not be part of the remainder of #IPL2021, as he and Louise are expecting a second child soon.
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 21, 2021
We wish them well, and can't wait for the newest member of the #RoyalsFamily. đź’— pic.twitter.com/rHfeQTmvvg
The Royals will also miss England star pacer Joffra Archer for the rest of the season, as he has been ruled out for the rest of the year due to a recurrence of a stress fracture in his right elbow. “The franchise wishes Joffra Archer good health and a speedy recovery,” the franchisee said in a statement.
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Meanwhile, with Ben Stokes‘ participation yet to be officially announced, the all-rounder is currently on an indefinite break from the cricket to focus on his mental health. He was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a broken finger after playing just one match in the first part of the 2021 IPL season, so his chances of returning are slim.
Currently, the Royals are fifth in the points table before IPL 2021 is postponed. They have won three of their seven matches. However, Royals will start the UAE league with a match against Punjab Kings on September 21 in Dubai.
