Finn Allen smashed a sensational unbeaten 47-ball century with 10 sixes and joined a league of extraordinary gentlemen, as Kolkata Knight Riders crushed Delhi Capitals, registering their fourth straight win in IPL 2026.
Key Points
- Finn Allen smashed an unbeaten 100 off 47 balls to guide KKR to a dominant win over Delhi Capitals.
- The New Zealand opener struck 10 sixes and five fours at a strike rate of 212.77.
- Allen was used as an Impact Substitute and registered his maiden IPL century.
- Allen paced his innings smartly, scoring only 20 off his first 18 balls before accelerating dramatically.
The Impact Substitute rule is not one many IPL enthusiasts have taken to easily. But on Friday, Kolkata Knight Riders fans would not be complaining about the rule as Finn Allen blew away Delhi Capitals with a superb unbeaten ton in New Delhi on Friday.
Kolkata Knight brought out the complete package to dismantle Delhi Capitals and go 7th spot with 9 points from 10 matches.
After electing to field, Ajinkya Rahane's trio of spinners -- Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy put a choke hold on DC batters in the middle overs to restrict the hosts to 142 for 8 in their 20 overs.
The pitch was on the slower side, offering some help for the spinners, but when Finn Allen came out to chase the target, it looked like he was batting on a different pitch altogether.
The big Kiwi opener struck a 47-ball century -- a maiden IPL ton (100* in 47 balls, with five fours and 10 sixes, striking at 212.77) -- and conjured up 10 sixes in his blisterting innings to carry KKR to their 4th successive win.
Allen's BBL Success Leads To IPL Contract
Coming at the back of a super successful run at the 2025-2026 Big Bash League in Australia where he topped the run charts with 446 runs at an average of 42.36 and was a catalyst for the Perth Scorchers' title run.
Allen smashed 38 maximums at the BBL, cementing his reputation as a power-hitter, scoring a 53-ball century.
He also became only the second overseas player to finish atop the BBL run charts.
Allen's USP is six-hitting and coming into the IPL auction with an impressive resume, KKR successfully bid for the New Zealander, bagging his services for Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million).
Tough Beginnings In IPL 2026
At the start of the IPL, Allen found it hard going and his highest score before Friday's ton was 37 off 17 balls in their season opener against Mumbai Indians. His numbers thereafter read 28 (vs SRH), 6 (vs PBKS), 9 (vs LSG), 1 (vs CSK).
After being dropped for three matches, he was brought back for KKR's previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Out on display on all the matches prior to Friday's innings was his striking ability but those innings came with an expiration time. He would go big early, try to capitalise in the Powerplay but would manage to give away his wicket.
But the world witnessed another avatar of Allen against DC. He took his time before going all out.
Chasing a middling total is always tricky and he didn't show urgency in the chase. His first 18 balls fetched him just 20 runs. Once he got his eye in, he toyed with the DC bowlers and in the next 29 balls he tallied 80 runs!
The best moments in his innings came in the 13th over. With 39 needed off 48 balls, Allen got hold of leggie Vipraj Nigam's poor deliveries to smack a hat-trick of sixes. Effortless power and clean striking was the name of Allen's game.
That over changed the momentum of the match. Two more sixes off Kuldeep Yadav in the next over had KKR at victory's doorstep.
For the first time this season, Allen batted through the innings, hit the winning runs, striking his 10th six of the night and with that brought up his maiden IPL century.
Finn Allen In Record Books
With this sensational knock, Allen has found his way into IPL's record books.
He became the first Kiwi batter to smash three T20 centuries in a calendar year. He joins Brendon McCullum, Venkatesh Iyer and Sunil Narine as the fourth batter to hit an IPL century for KKR.
He is also the second Kiwi after Brendon McCullum (158* against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in opening match of inaugural IPL in 2008) to have a ton against his name in the IPL.
Before this, he had smacked a 53-ball century for Perth Scorchers in the BBL and a 33-ball century against South Africa in the T20 World Cup semifinals, the fastest-ever century in the history of both 50-over and T20 World Cups combined.
With the 10 maximums hit tonight, he has third most sixes by a KKR batter in an IPL innings, below Andre Russell (11 sixes) against Chennai Super Kings in 2018 at Chennai during his 88* in 36 balls and 13 maximums by McCullum during his explosive 158* in IPL's first-ever match.
In IPL 2026, the 27 year old now has 210 runs in seven innings, at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of 205.88, with a century.
This year, Allen has smashed 905 runs in 23 T20 innings at an average of 45.25 and a strike rate of 195.04, with three centuries and fifties each.
'I've been working on is trying to have more strings to my bow. We obviously lost a couple of early wickets, so I just tried to have a bit of responsibility and get a win on the board for the boys. It was still a little bit challenging at the start, Axar bowled really well and restricted us. So like I said, just try to get in strong positions and bat deep,' Allen said at the post-match presentation on Friday.
'I feel like I've got a few starts and it's been pretty frustrating, but here nice to, I guess, have a little bit of personal success.'
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