IPL 2021: Glenn Phillips replaces Jos Buttler at Rajasthan Royals

In a major reshuffle for the Rajasthan Royals franchise, New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Glenn Phillips has replaced senior opener Jos Buttler for the UAE leg of IPL 2021. Buttler and his wife, Louise, are expecting a second child and the Englishman will be unavailable for the season.

Rajasthan Royals revealed the development in a series of tweets. The first was a hilarious cryptic post with simply the logo of the "Phillips" brand. The news was confirmed in a subsequent post which read:

"The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter is the Royals' first replacement player signing for the remainder of #IPL2021."

The Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter is the Royals' first replacement player signing for theremainder of #IPL2021.

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) August 21, 2021

South African-born Glenn Phillips is a hard-hitting top-order batsman with a stunning record. He has played 25 T20Is for New Zealand, scoring over 500 runs at a strike rate of over 149. His highest score, a magnificent 51-ball 108, came against the West Indies last year at Mount Maunganui and included ten fours and eight maximums.

In the domestic arena, Glenn Phillips averages upwards of 30 across formats and has scored over 3744 runs in 134 T20s. This includes four tons and his runs have also come at a healthy strike-rate of 143.28. Based on these returns, he was recently rewarded with a berth in New Zealand's squad for the T20 World Cup to be held later this year as well.

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Glenn Phillips in stunning form in The Hundred

Glenn Phillips celebrating his #T20WorldCup selection! #TheHundred #TheHundredOnFanCode pic.twitter.com/IwJv1brRK8

— S. Sudarshanan (@Sudarshanan7) August 19, 2021

Glenn Phillips will arrive in the UAE with a heap of runs to his name in recent times. The 24-year-old is currently the fourth highest scorer in the English domestic 100-ball competition, The Hundred. Phillips has scored 214 runs from eight matches at a strike rate of over 146. He's also third in the charts for most sixes with 12, only behind Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali.

Perhaps it was Glenn Phillips's match-winning 35-ball 80 in the Welsh Fire's most recent game in the competition that pushed the Rajasthan Royals to rope him in. Studded with seven sixes and five fours, Phillips's knock helped his team chase a massive target of 163 in just 98 balls.

His strong back-foot game against pacers and ability to hit huge sixes will be a treat to watch in the UAE.