Two-time champions Kolkata Knght Riders have roped in Australia captain Aaron Finch to replace England opener Alex Hales for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Hales cited biobubble fatigue as he withdrew from the 10-team league after being bought at the mega-auction for Rs 1.5 crore.
Finch, who led Australia to ICC T20 World Cup glory last year, has played 88 T20Is to date, scoring 2,686 runs using two hundred and fifty. However, it remained unsold at the mega auction.
“Finch, who has played 87 IPL games and has over 2000 IPL runs, will join KKR at a price of Rs 1.5 crore,” KKR said in a statement.
Finch, who last played for Royal Challengers Bangalore at IPL 2020, will play for KKR, his record-breaking ninth franchise in IPL history. The aggressive opener, who started with the Rajasthan Royals in 2010, later played for the Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, SunRisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions and Punjab Kings.
REALLY STRONG: HALES
Explaining his decision to withdraw from IPL 2022, Alex Hales said he was genuinely disappointed to miss out on one of the best opportunities of his career. Hales, who has not played for England since 2019, said he was exhausted by stints in bio-bubbles in the Covid-19 era.
“Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive biobubbles and testing positive for COVID myself in Australia, I don’t feel like I can commit to another extended period of time in a safe environment,” Hales said Twitter.
— Alex Hales (@AlexHales1) March 11, 2022
“It would not be fair to the team or to me if I was unable to perform as expected due to persistent bladder fatigue.
“I’m really disappointed that I’m having to turn down one of the best opportunities of my career because the last two years of bubble life have impacted my mental well-being.
“I’m going to take some time now to rest and recharge before summer.”
KKR will open their campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede Stadium in the first game of IPL 2022 on March 26th.
