‘Great Coaches’, ‘Loads Of Cash’ And More: How IPL Unleashed The Beast In Glenn Phillips Against India

Glenn Phillips said his Gujarat Titans stint sharpened his game as the New Zealand batter continued his match-winning run against India in the T20I series. Phillips smashed 107 in the fourth T20I in Auckland as New Zealand beat India by 87 runs and avoided a series whitewash.

Phillips tops the series charts with 276 runs from four matches, averaging 92. He has one century and two fifties. The 29-year-old also linked that form to his time with Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026.

His numbers in the IPL were modest. But Phillips made it clear that time in a franchise set-up can still help a player improve, even without regular selection.

IPL Lessons Learned

Phillips played only six matches for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026. He scored 67 runs and his highest score was 25.

He explained the squeeze overseas players face in the league after the match. "The IPL is a certain beast of its own and the balance of teams being one of eight overseas (players) with only four spots (in the eleven) 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 during the post-match press conference.

Phillips said limited opportunities do not mean a wasted tournament. "At Gujarat, I was very lucky to have some unbelievable facilities, some great coaches and plenty of time to work (on his batting). I also showed in England as well, being able to have volume (of runs) under the belt, whether it's red ball or white ball. "Yes, you'd love to score runs in the IPL and, you know, make a load of cash, and that would be fantastic. But also, there are a lot of learnings that you can take from that place, whether you're playing or not. I think that is also on each individual who is at the IPL or at any other tournament, to be able to make the most out of where they go," he added.

England Series Boost

His form did not begin with this India series. Phillips had already built momentum in the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy against England earlier this year.

He scored 181 runs across four innings in that series at an average of 60. That return included a century as New Zealand won the series 2-1.

That result carried wider weight. England's defeat signalled the end of the Brendon McCullum-inspired Bazball era.

Cramp And Chase

Phillips did not field during India's chase in Auckland. He later said he experienced cramps and that his absence was largely a precautionary measure.

"I think it's just a little bit of stiffness that I felt early on in the innings. But it felt a lot better as we ran through the game, and I think it was more precautionary rather than risking an injury this early on in the season," he said.

He also reflected on New Zealand's charge towards 250-plus and on Michael Bracewell's late surge from the other end. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun also 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. Obviously, you need a tonne of runs to even have a sniff of beating India. "So, it's for us to be able to put that sort of score on the board today. I guess it'll give us confidence going forward that we can get a score of that size, and it's our first time being up in that 250 range," Phillips added.