Two-time champions Kolkata Knght Riders roped in Australia captain Aaron Finch as replacement for England opener Alex Hales for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Hales cited bio-bubble fatigue as he opted out of the 10-team league after he was bought at the mega auction for Rs 1.5 crore.
Finch, who led Australia to an ICC T20 World Cup glory last year, has so far played 88 T20Is scoring 2,686 runs with the help of two hundreds and 15 fifties. However, he went unsold at the mega auction.
“Finch, who has played 87 IPL games and has over 2000 IPL runs, will join KKR at the price of Rs 1.5 crore”, KKR said in a statement.
Finch, who last played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2020, will be playing for KKR, his record 9th franchise in the history of IPL. The aggressive opener, who started with Rajasthan Royals in 2010, has gone on to play for Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, SunRisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Punjab Kings.
Explaining his decision to withdraw from IPL 2022, Alex Hales said he is truly gutted to miss out on one of the best opportunities of his career. Hales, who has not played for England since 2019, said he has been worn out by stint in bio-bubbles in the era of Covid-19.
“Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive bio bubbles and having tested positive for COVID myself in Australia, I don’t feel as though I can commit myself to another extended period within a secure environment,” Hales said on Twitter.
