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'It wasn't unexpected,' Aaron Finch on not being picked at IPL 2021 Auction

Finch played 12 games in the IPL 2020 season and managed to score just 268 runs at an average of 22.33, with just one score of 50+ to his name. The bit that hurt RCB the most was Finch's strike rate of 111.20.

Updated on: Feb 21, 2021, 20:07:04 IST
By , New Delhi
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Last year, Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was the talk of the town after being picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ahead of the IPL 2020 season in the UAE, many cricket pundits pegged Finch to be the difference-maker for RCB in the UAE, but the story turned out to be completely different.

File image of Australia captain Aaron Finch. (Getty Images)
File image of Australia captain Aaron Finch. (Getty Images)

Finch played 12 games in the IPL 2020 season and managed to score just 268 runs at an average of 22.33, with just one score of 50+ to his name. The bit that hurt RCB the most was Finch's strike rate of 111.20. Opening the innings for the franchise, RCB expected the Australia batsman to give a strong start, but Finch struggled to get going.

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In the recently concluded Big Bash League tournament, Finch's struggles with the bat were highlighted once again. The batsman scored just 179 runs for Melbourne Renegades in 13 innings at an average of 13.76 in the tournament.

It came as a little surprise that when Finch's name was announced at the IPL 2021 Auction earlier this week, the batsman did not invite any bids from any of the eight franchises.

Speaking to reporters at a virtual press conference ahead of the New Zealand series, Finch said that he would have liked to be picked, but he was not surprised that he was not.

"It would've been nice to be playing again, it's an amazing competition to be a part of, but it wasn't unexpected that I didn't get picked up to be honest," Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

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"I'd prefer to be playing cricket, but a little bit of time at home might not be the worst thing, having quite a full schedule since August when we left for the UK and a few times in quarantine and a lot of times in hubs and bubbles, I think just getting home and recharging the batteries might be nice. I know my wife's definitely looking forward to it," he added.

"I've been working on a few little technical things, trying to get a little bit less weight on my front foot. At times I can be a little bit flat-footed and my feet get planted and then I struggle to move again. I have my initial movement and then I get a little bit stuck.

"I've talked a lot and worked a fair bit with Andrew McDonald, who I go back to every time things don't seem quite right and he seems to sort it out pretty quick, so it's been nice to have a good chunk of training and focusing on a few little technical changes," he signed off.

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