Finn Allen’s remarkable 47-ball 100no ensured Kolkata Knight Riders continued their winning run
Perth Scorchers star Finn Allen has bludgeoned an incredible IPL hundred for the resurgent Kolkata Knight Riders, with a little help from the excellent maths of Cameron Green.
Allrounder Green started counting down how many runs his New Zealand batting partner needed to get to three figures as soon as Allen began to find his most destructive form with KKR moving remorselessly in sight of their target of 143 to beat Delhi Capitals.
“I did the math when I knew we had about 29 to get, I was working it out,” said Green, who at the end took a single, instead of trying to hit the winning runs himself, to give Allen the chance to hit the winning six that would take him to three figures.
“I knew I’d be the most hated man in Calcutta if I did anything else but that,” laughed Green.
His selflessness was rewarded when Allen, the BBL’s leading scorer during the Scorchers’ triumphant campaign last summer, then clubbed the winning maximum at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium – his 10th six in all – over midwicket off Mukesh Kumar to reach his first IPL ton off just 47 balls.
No-one was more delighted than Green, who was happy to play “second fiddle”, scoring a sedate 27-ball 33 in their unbroken third-wicket partnership of 116, as Kolkata continued their revival after a dismal start to the season with a fourth win in a row.
“Yeah, really special. There’s only a handful of times during your career when you get a chance to be at the other end to watch something like that,” said Green, who saw Allen hit eight of his last 16 deliveries for six.
It was an astounding, almost redemptive knock by the 27-year-old Aucklander, who’s had a difficult time in his maiden IPL season, even getting dropped after scoring just 81 in his first five innings.
“Sometimes, it changes your perspective,” reflected Allen. “You go out of the team and have a bit of time for a mental refresh. I’d been putting too much pressure on myself at the start, so it was good to sit back and refresh.”
He was determined to show more responsibility at the start of his knock with Delhi’s danger man Mitchell Starc (0-31 off three overs) charging in, and it paid off as he took 32 balls to reach his 50, and only another 15 to get to the ton.
Green, too, is growing with each match, having earlier also taken the big wicket of Nitish Rana in his sole over as Delhi, out in to bat, slumped to 5-89 in the 11th over.
Kolkata’s spinners spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy did even more damage, bowling their combined eight overs for just 1-45.
IPL 2026 standings
Australians in IPL 2026
Chennai Super Kings: Matt Short ($255k), Spencer Johnson ($255k, replaces Nathan Ellis ($340k))
Delhi Capitals: Mitchell Starc ($2m)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Josh Hazlewood ($2.13m), Tim David ($510k)
Punjab Kings: Marcus Stoinis ($1.9m), Ben Dwarshuis ($745k), Mitchell Owen ($510k), Cooper Connolly ($510k), Xavier Bartlett ($136k)
Kolkata Knight Riders: Cameron Green ($3.5m)
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Pat Cummins ($3.5m), Travis Head ($2.38m), Jack Edwards ($510k, withdrawn)
Lucknow Super Giants: Josh Inglis ($1.49m), Mitchell Marsh ($578k)
