I am not filling Jos Buttler's shoes, I am looking to create a legacy of my own: Glenn Phillips

Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals earlier this year took a majority stake of the Barbados franchise in the Caribbean Premier League, renaming their team as Barbados Royals. Glenn Phillips, the New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman who played for Barbados, has now signed for Rajasthan for the 2nd leg of the IPL 2021 in the UAE.

The signing of Phillips has come based on two reasons. One of them is Jos Buttler pulling out of the tournament. The other reason is Phillips’ own form with the bat which has been good for New Zealand and all the other franchises for whom he has played. On his arrival in the Rajasthan Royals camp, the 24-year-old spoke about his decision to join the franchise.

I was playing for the Barbados Royals already, made sense for me to go with the Rajasthan: Glenn Phillips

“At first, I knew there were other players ahead of me, and then with players dropping out, this opportunity came about. There were a couple of other teams who wanted me, but the fact that I was playing for the Barbados Royals already, made sense for me to go with the Rajasthan Royals. I felt it was the right decision to stay with the same franchise,” said Phillips as quoted by The New Indian Express.

Phillips further revealed that he had got a welcome text from the Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson. He also noted that he has known Kumar Sangakkara, the director of cricket at Royals for some time. The duo actually played together for Jamaica Tallawahs, another CPL team with whom Phillips was associated before joining the Barbados Royals. 

The New Zealand batter wicketkeeper is a terrific striker of the ball and can also take the job with gloves. This makes him a ‘like for like’ replacement for Buttler, who has been a key player for the franchise. On top of that, Phillips admitted that he is okay with batting anywhere, from opening to lower-middle order. 

Speaking about him coming into this tournament in place of Buttler, Phillips said, “The team has brought me in to do whatever role they need me to play, so it’s not really like I’m filling in Jos’ shoes, I’m probably filling in my own shoes and looking to create a legacy of my own rather than being a replacement.”