IPL learnings helped me perform against India, says Glenn Phillips

Auckland: After producing a match-winning 107 against India in the fourth T20I here, New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips credited his learnings from the IPL for his consistent performances in the ongoing five-match series.

Phillips is the leading run-getter in the series so far, with 276 runs from four matches at an average of 92, including a century and two half-centuries.

His third T20I century helped New Zealand pull one back after suffering three successive defeats in the series. The Kiwis won the Auckland T20I by 87 runs.

“The IPL is a beast of its own, and the balance of teams having eight overseas players with only four spots in the playing XI makes it quite tough. So, if you don’t go out there and set the world on fire, there’s always another person waiting in line,” Phillips said at the post-match press conference.

The Kiwi did not have a great run in IPL 2026 for Gujarat Titans, appearing in only six matches and scoring just 67 runs, with 25 being his highest score.

However, Phillips found more value in the time he spent in the IPL than in those modest numbers.

“At Gujarat, I was very lucky to have some unbelievable facilities, some great coaches and plenty of time to work on my batting. I also showed in England that I was able to score runs consistently, whether in red-ball or white-ball cricket.

“Yes, you’d love to score runs in the IPL, make a lot of cash and have a fantastic time. But there are also a lot of learnings that you can take from that place (the IPL), whether you’re playing or not. I think it is up to each individual at the IPL or any other tournament to make the most of the opportunities available,” he added.

The 29-year-old had a productive outing in the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy earlier this year, scoring 181 runs across four innings at an average of 60, including a century.

New Zealand beat England 2-1 in that series, signalling the end of the Brendon McCullum-initiated Bazball era.

Phillips did not field during India’s innings, and the right-hander said it was a precautionary measure after he experienced cramps.

“I think it was just a little bit of stiffness that I felt early in the innings. But it felt a lot better as the game progressed, and I think it was more precautionary to stay on top of it and avoid the risk of getting injured this early in the season,” he added.

Phillips said New Zealand was aware of the need to build a cushion of extra runs against a strong Indian batting line-up.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun being at the other end while (Michael) Bracewell was going bananas. Obviously, crazy things happen at Eden Park all the time, and it was a fantastic pitch. You need a tonne of runs even to have a sniff of beating India.

“So, for us to be able to put that sort of score on the board today will give us confidence going forward that we can reach a score of that size. It was our first time getting into the 250-run range,” he added.