IPL 2020: I was 'in a bit of a shock' when RCB chose me in the auction, says Josh Philippe

Australian wicket-keeper batsman Josh Philippe revealed that he was a bit shocked when Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) selected him straightaway in the Indian Premier League auction. He was hoping for a chance but the kind of interest that the RCB management showed him really took him by surprise.

Speaking to The Cricketer, Josh Philippe opined that a player cannot be entirely confident of being selected unless he is of the class of someone like Steve Smith. He said:

“Unless you’re someone like Steve Smith whom everyone wants, it’s as much about luck as anything. RCB literally went for me straight away. I was in a bit of shock; I couldn’t quite believe it. I’d been told I had a chance, but nothing is set in stone and people change their minds all the time.”

It was not long ago that the wicket-keeper batsman came into the reckoning of major franchises. He had an excellent season with the Sidney Sixers in the 2019 edition of BBL. The right-hander ended up amassing 487 runs at a strike rate of just under 130.

The youngster from Western Australia was adjudged Man of the Match in the final after his unbeaten half-century from just 29 deliveries helped the Sixers win the title.

Welcome to the bold team, Joshua Philippe! Get ready to #PlayBold#BidForBold #IPL2020 #IPLAuction pic.twitter.com/leV1j04fuw

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 19, 2019

Playing alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers will be a surreal experience: Josh Philippe

The 23-year-old expressed his excitement at the chance to play alongside legends like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. He believes it is an amazing opportunity to learn from the way they train and generally go about their business. He said:

“It’s surreal; AB and Virat are two of the best in the world so it’ll be great to see how they train, play, and go about their business. It’s an amazing opportunity to rub shoulders with those guys and see how the best in the world operate.”

Josh Philippe is currently a part of the Australian side which is in England to play T20 internationals. He will be travelling from the UK to the UAE to join the RCB squad for IPL 2020.