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Finn Allen reveals he 'nearly cried' upon being informed of IPL call-up

March 11, 2021

The young batsman got the call from Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Mike Hesson that he had been signed for the upcoming IPL season.

Wellington Firebirds batsman Finn Allen has revealed the moment he was informed of his maiden call-up to the Indian Premier League, telling reporters he "nearly cried" as he came to realise one of his childhood dreams was coming true.

The 21-year-old said he received a text message from Royal Challengers Bangalore coach and former Black Caps coach Mike Hesson around two weeks ago asking if he had time for a phone call.

An excited Allen replied immediately and waited "the longest" five minutes he had had in a while for Hesson's call to inform him Bangalore had picked him as a replacement for Australian batsman Josh Phillippe, who made himself unavailable for the tournament.

"It's always been a dream," Allen said.

"I think most young cricketers or aspiring cricketers live for that sort of moment.

"I nearly cried when I found out, I genuinely didn't know how to react.

"I got straight on the blower with Mum and Dad and they were stoked so it was pretty cool."

Allen will join a franchise full of Kiwi and international starpower.

The young Firebirds batsman will line-up alongside the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson.

"I want to learn a lot but I also want to give myself a chance to perform as well when I get over there," Allen told reporters at Eden Park this morning.

The chance to compete in the world's most prestigious cricket tournament completes a rapid rise for the young batsman, who moved to Wellington this season after struggling early in his career with the Auckland Aces.

Allen led the Firebirds to a Super Smash title, topping the run-scoring charts with 512 runs at a blistering strike rate of 194.

"If you'd said that this would happen at the start of the season I probably would've argued with you about it but it's awesome, it's so cool how it's happened so fast and I'm just trying to take it day by day and keep it in my stride."

Despite his stellar domestic campaign, Allen is still awaiting for the chance to pull on the Black Caps jersey, a moment he described as "the main dream", but may yet be called up for the T20 series against Bangladesh at the end of the month.

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