IPL 2020: Aaron Finch backs Josh Philippe to play finisher’s role in RCB

Australia’s Aaron Finch reckons that Josh Philippe can play the role of a finisher for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). Philippe, after being roped in at his base price of INR 20 lakhs, didn’t have much to in RCB’s opening match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Dubai International Stadium.

Prior to coming in the IPL, the youngster made a name for himself, representing the Sydney Sixers, the champions of the 2019-20 Big Bash League (BBL). For the Sixers, he showed his class at the top-order and Finch reckons that he can taste success in the IPL due to his versatility in stroke-making.

Finch put forth his opinions in the press conference prior to RCB’s second match of the season against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Thursday, September 24 in Dubai itself.

Josh Philippe has got a lot of talent, says Finch

“Absolutely [he can be a finisher]. I think he’s someone who has got so much talent that he can play a number of roles. We’ve seen how successful he can be at the top of the order in Big Bash and things like that,” Finch was quoted as saying.

“He’s someone who can play all around the ground. He’s got a lot of talent and a lot of skill and so I think if he’s given enough time at each role, I think he will start to develop into that beautifully,” he stated.

Finch also talked about his partnership with IPL debutant Devdutt Padikkal against the Sunrisers. In that game, Finch played the sheet-anchor’s role even as the youngster kept going after the bowling. However, Finch, also the Australian ODI and T20I skipper, believes that on certain days, he can play the attacking role as well. Moreover, he said that his game has evolved in the shortest format.

“Dev obviously got off to a great start the other day, so then it was my job to just try and get him back on strike and let him keep playing really well and really aggressive. But there’ll be some days when that role is reversed and I’ll get off to a bit of a flier and then our partnership becomes important again,” he added.