‘I wanted to keep my intent’: Finn Allen reveals mindset behind maiden IPL century

Finn Allen credited his aggressive mindset and the calm environment within the Kolkata Knight Riders camp after smashing his maiden IPL century in a dominant win over Delhi Capitals on Friday.

Allen remained unbeaten on 100 off just 47 deliveries as KKR chased down 143 in only 14.2 overs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium to register an emphatic eight-wicket victory and continue their resurgence in IPL 2026.

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The New Zealand opener said he wanted to maintain attacking intent despite KKR losing early wickets in the chase.

“For me, it was just I wanted to keep my intent. Obviously we lost a couple fortunate ones early. So I knew that I had to take a bit of responsibility and bat a bit deeper,” Allen said in a video shared by the IPL.

Allen’s knock included five fours and ten sixes, with the batter particularly destructive against spin during the middle overs. He attacked Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav aggressively to ensure KKR never lost momentum in the chase.

“They got really quality spinners. So I felt like if I had good intent to them, that it would get me in better positions to play the ball,” Allen explained.

Allen also stitched an unbeaten 116-run partnership with Cameron Green, who stayed not out on 33 off 27 balls. The opener revealed the initial plan was to allow Green time to settle before expanding their scoring options.

Meanwhile, Green lavished praise on Allen after the match, calling him one of the best players in the world at putting bowlers under pressure.

“Finn was exceptional. He’s one of the best in the world at doing that and putting pressure back on. When he gets to 30 or 40 then he’s very hard to get out because he just keeps going,” Green said in the post-match press conference.

After struggling through six consecutive defeats earlier in the season, KKR have now won four matches in a row. Allen credited captain Ajinkya Rahane and the support staff for maintaining composure during the difficult phase.

“They stayed really calm and composed, which I think is a really good trait to have, especially as a support staff. So I think that really helped us,” Allen said.

Green echoed similar sentiments and highlighted the positive dressing-room atmosphere as a major reason behind KKR’s turnaround.

“I didn’t think the belief was ever gone. We’ve had a really good culture this whole tournament even before we won a game,” Green said.

The Australian all-rounder also admitted KKR needed time to settle on the right batting combination before finding momentum in the competition.

With the victory, KKR climbed to seventh in the IPL 2026 points table with nine points from 10 matches and remain in contention for a playoff spot.