New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) Former South African cricketer and coach Mark Boucher has lauded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Finn Allen’s extraordinary century against Delhi Capitals and said it’s not just the 27-year-old batter’s strength but also his range and cleanliness in hitting a shot that make him special.

Allen showcased his fireworks at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, scored 20 off his first 17 balls before unleashing an 80-run burst off his next 30 deliveries to complete his maiden IPL century in 47 balls, stitching an unbeaten 116-run partnership off just 64 deliveries with Camwron Green as KKR jumped to the seventh spot on the points table to keep their qualification hopes alive with a dominant eight-wicket win.

“Once Finn Allen gets past 20 or 30, there are very few players in world cricket who strike the ball with the kind of power he does. What makes him special is not just the strength, but the range and cleanliness of his hitting. Whether it was the pick-up shot over fine leg against Mitchell Starc or the straight hits back over the bowler’s head, everything looked effortless.

“Anything in his arc or under his eyeline, he was striking beautifully. At one stage, it almost looked like he was batting against a bowling machine. It was an incredible innings to watch,” Boucher said on JioStar.

Allen was particularly lethal against spin, posting a strike rate of 235 via scoring 73 off 31 balls as KKR got their fourth straight win of IPL 2026. Former India spinner Piyush Chawla reflected on his approach against spin, saying once a player of Allen’s quality gets into rhythm, it becomes extremely difficult to contain him.

“This was probably the toughest surface Finn Allen has batted on in the tournament, but what stood out was how well he used the crease. Against anything short, he went deep in the crease, and whenever the ball was in his zone, he capitalised immediately. His reach also allows him to access different areas of the ground comfortably.

“Having said that, the spinners didn’t consistently bowl the right lengths to trouble him and ended up offering too many scoring opportunities. Once a player of his quality gets into rhythm, he becomes extremely difficult to contain, and this innings showed exactly why he’s rated so highly in T20 cricket,” said Chawla.

Allen was the undisputed Player of the Match. On a pitch where almost every other batter struggled for timing, Allen’s explosive 100 not out completely demoralised the opposition and single-handedly finished the game with 34 deliveries to spare.

–IANS

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