Aaron Finch is heading to Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2022 after Alex Hales pulled out of the tournament citing bio-bubble fatigue.
Follow Us
When Aaron Finch went unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction, a lot of eyebrows were raised. After all, he had just led Australia to their maiden ICC World T20 in 2021 in the UAE. But, now, Aaron Finch finds yet another IPL franchise in 2022. The Australian T20I skipper will replace Alex Hales in the Kolkata Knight Riders. Hales, who was bought for his base price of Rs 1.5 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders, has decided to skip this season of the IPL.
The main reason is bio-bubble fatigue. Hales was part of the Big Bash League as well as the Pakistan Super League T20 but he returned midway through the tournament. Hales had also tested positive for the coronavirus during the Big Bash League. Speaking about his decision to pull out on Twitter, Hales stated, “I am sad to announce that I have made the extremely difficult decision to withdraw from the forthcoming IPL. Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive bio-bubbles and testing position for Covid myself, I don’t feel as though I can commit myself to another extended period in a secure environment.”
? Aaron Finch joins KKR as a replacement for Alex Hales.
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 11, 2022
Welcome to the #GalaxyOfKnights, @AaronFinch5! ?#KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/3HnSyKogV2
Read More: Kolkata Knight Riders and their Horror in Centuries
For Finch, this will be the ninth IPL franchise that he will be playing for. Apart from Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, he has played in every single franchise in the IPL. He played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017 as well as for Sahara Pune Warriors in 2013. This is in addition to the other teams that he has featured. In IPL 2020, he was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise.
Read More: Shreyas Iyer Goes to KKR for Rs 12.25 Crore
Speaking on the appointment of Aaron Finch, KKR CEO Venky Mysore stated, “We respect Alex Hales’ decision of choosing family and mental well-being over his participation in the upcoming season of the IPL. Bubble-life isn’t easy, and a number of players around the world have shared their views on this topic. We will miss having him in the Galaxy of Knights this season, but we wish him all the best. We are delighted to welcome Aaron Finch, the T20 World Cup-winning captain, to the Knight Riders family. He is excited about joining the rest of the KKR squad in Mumbai and we look forward to benefiting from his vast experience.”
Finch has played 88 T20Is and scored 2686 runs with the help of two centuries and 15 half-centuries. The right-hander, who has played 87 IPL games and has 2005 runs. He has hit 14 fifties, with 2016 being his best year with 393 runs at an average of 39.3. He hit five fifties in that season for Gujarat Lions.
