Josh Philippe - The X-Factor for RCB
Joshua Philippe, who was unknown to most of the world, was thrown into the limelight thanks to his impressive performances in the 2019/20 Big Bash League season. The 22-year old West Australian, who idolizes Steve Smith, got the opportunity to play alongside his idol for the Sydney Sixers. The wicket-keeper batsman was the third-highest run-scorer in the league, amassing 487 runs at a strike rate of 130, opening the batting for his team. His breakthrough season in the 2019/20 BBL made the cricketing world take notice of his abilities.
Philippe started the season hot but experienced a mid-season dip in form. However, he fought through the tough phase, scoring three half-centuries in the last four games of the season. Following in the footsteps of his idol Steven Smith, Josh Philippe batted himself out of the bad patch by hitting thousands of balls in the nets. “To be honest I've hit thousands and thousands of balls, I've hit so many balls in the last few weeks,” Philippe said. “I didn't get too many it felt like it all happened at once and I just kept backing myself, hitting a lot of balls, and hoping it would work out which it kind of did, which is nice”, he added.
Philippe’s work ethics has brought him success and recognition in the cricketing circles
Philippe earned high praise from Steve Smith following the games against Melbourne Renegades before the finals, in which the RCB sensation scored an unbeaten 66 in a successful run-chase. “Geez, he was striking some balls very cleanly again. I've said it so much that kid has got some serious talent and he showed that again today”, exclaimed an excited Steve Smith.
The hard work Philippe put in reaped high rewards, as he was central to the Sixers winning their second BBL title. Batting first in a rain-curtailed game, Philippe scored 52 off 29 balls, which included 4 boundaries and 3 sixes, guiding his team to a match-winning 116 in their quota of 20 overs. Philippe was awarded the Man of the Match award as Sixers lifted the BBL title, defeating the Melbourne stars by 19 runs.
The fiery wicket-keeper batsman can double up as a wicket-keeping option as well as an overseas opener for RCB in the 2020 IPL season. Bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the auction preceding the IPL 2020 season at his base price of INR 20 Lakhs, Philippe could prove to be a smart buy, given his abilities at the top of the order.
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