"I Was Shocked": Josh Philippe On Being Picked By RCB For IPL 2020

Australian wicket-keeper batsman Josh Philippe is set to make his debut in IPL. He will be plying his trade for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise after they showed immense faith in him in the IPL auction. Josh Philippe is still to get a call up for the national team but has proved his potential in the franchise leagues.

RCB went straightaway to buy a lesser-known player like Philippe in the auction. He said that unless its someone like Steve Smith it’s just luck. The fiery batsman also added that it was a bit of shocker for him as he could not believe that the franchise straightaway went for his bid.

“I played a Big Bash game and we flew to Alice Springs that night. I knew the auction was on so was following it closely. I was still watching at 12.30 in the morning and my name finally came up,” he told the cricketer.

“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.

“Unless you’re someone like Steve Smith who everyone wants, it’s as much about luck as anything. I’m starting to go through who’s in the team in the early hours and I was like “wow”.

“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,” he added.

Philippe has been impressive in the BBL for Sydney Sixers. In the 2019 edition of the BBL, he scored 487 runs at a strike rate of just under 130. He was also the man-of-the-match in the summit clash for his quick-fire knock.