IPL 2022: KKR announce star Australia batter as replacement for Alex Hales

The Australia batter has so far played 88 T20Is and has scored 2686 runs with the help of 2 hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Friday roped in Australia's white-ball captain Aaron Finch as a replacement for England batter Alex Hales for the impending 15th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Hales has cited bubble fatigue as his reason for withdrawal from the tournament.

File image of Alex Hales. (Reuters)

“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 bubble's 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 in his Twitter post.

“It wouldn't be fair on the team or myself if I wasn't able to perform to the level expected of me as a result of ongoing bubble fatigue.

“I am truly gutted to have to turn down one of the best opportunities of my career due to the toll that the last two years of bubble life has taken on my mental well-being. I'll now take some time to rest and recharge ahead of the summer. I want to thank KKR for believing in me during the auction and for their ongoing support in recent weeks. I wish Baz, Shreyas and the team the best of luck for the tournament and hope to see the Knight Riders fans at some point in the future,” he said.

Finch, who had led Australia to their maiden ICC T20 World Cup victory in November last year in the UAE, has so far featured in 88 T20Is and has scored 2686 runs laced with 2 hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

This will be Finch's record ninth IPL franchise, the most by any player in the tournament history. He was first picked by Rajasthan Royals in 2010 before he moved to Delhi Daredevils for two seasons. This was followed by stints in Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has joined KKR for INR 1.5 crore.

Finch, who has played 87 IPL games, has scored 2005 runs at 25.70 and with a strike rate of 127.70 with 14 half-centuries.

KKR – the two-time IPL Champions – will kickstart their IPL 2022 proceedings on March 26 when they take on Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.