Finn Allen (ANI Photo/Rahul Singh)
Finn Allen produced one of the most exciting knocks of IPL 2026 as Kolkata Knight Riders thrashed Delhi Capitals by eight wickets. Chasing a modest target of 143 runs, the New Zealand batsman remained unbeaten with 100 off just 47 balls, smashing five fours and 10 sixes to finish in just 14.2 overs.Through this innings, Allen made history by becoming the first New Zealand batsman to score three T20 centuries in a single calendar year.
He watches
Why Suryakumar Yadav is set to lose India T20I captaincy: Everything you need to know
Earlier this year, he had already scored a century for Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League and another hundred against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semi-final – a 33-ball blitz that became the fastest century in the history of the ODI and T20 World Cup combined.He is now only the second Kiwi after Brendon McCullum to score a century in the IPL and also became the fourth KKR batsman to reach a hundred in the tournament after McCullum, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine.Before Allen’s fireworks, KKR’s bowlers put in the hard work on a difficult surface. Delhi Capitals started well through Pathum Nissanka, who scored a quick 50 off 29 balls, but their innings slowed down badly in the middle. KKR’s spin attack, led by Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy and Kartik Tyagi, kept things tight and picked up wickets regularly.Delhi managed just 142/8 in their 20 overs, with Ashutosh Sharma’s 39 offering some late resistance.
KKR lost two early wickets, but Allen took full control after settling down. Interestingly, he played the match as an influential substitute for Varun Chakravarthy. His clean batting made the chase look easy as Delhi’s bowlers had no answer for his attacking style.Allen now has 905 T20 runs this year with a strike rate approaching 195, underscoring his impressive form in 2026.