Rajasthan Royals have signed New Zealand keeper-batsman Glenn Phillips for the UAE leg of IPL 2021. The development comes with Buttler opting out of the remainder of the season due to the impending birth of his second child.Phillips, who is currently with the Barbados Royals in the CPL, which begins next week in the West Indies, is scheduled to join the Royals squad in the UAE on September 19. Apart from having played 25 T20Is for his country and having participated in the CPL, he has also had stints in England's Vitality Blast as well as the Hundred.
Last November, Phillips hammered 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. Phillips' 506 T20I runs have come at a strike rate of 149.70. Incidentally, Buttler had scored his maiden T20 hundred in the Royals' last game before the tournament's suspension, against Sunrisers Hyderabad.The Royals, who are placed fifth in the standings, begin their UAE leg of IPL 2021 with a clash against Punjab Kings on September 21 in Dubai.In their last match before the series had got postponed, Rajasthan had defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 55 runs.
