IPL 2022: Aaron Finch joins Kolkata Knight Riders as replacement for Alex Hales

Finch, who has played 87 IPL games and has over 2000 IPL runs, will join KKR at the price of INR 1.5 crore.

FILE PHOTO: Finch, who led Australia to the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 title, has played 88 T20Is and scored 2686 runs, including two hundreds and 15 half-centuries.

Kolkata Knight Riders signed Aaron Finch as replacement for England batter Alex Hales, who cited bubble fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal, ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Friday.

The entire 15th edition of the IPL will be played in a bio-secure environment in Mumbai and Pune from March 26. The final is scheduled on May 29.

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"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 wrote on Twitter.

 

"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."

Finch, who has scored over 2,000 runs in the IPL, captained the Australia side that lifted the T20 World Cup 2021 crown last year. He initially went unsold in the IPL auction last month.