Australia’s white-ball captain Aaron Finch has been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as a replacement for England batter Alex Hales for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) T20.
Hales cited bubble fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal from the tournament.
Finch has so far played 88 T20Is, scoring 2686 runs with the help of 2 tons and 15 half-centuries. He has also featured in 87 IPL games and has over 2000 runs, with 88 not out being his best score.
🚨 Aaron Finch joins KKR as a replacement for Alex Hales.
Welcome to the #GalaxyOfKnights, @AaronFinch5! 💜#KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022 pic.twitter.com/3HnSyKogV2
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 11, 2022
KKR, the two-times IPL Champions, will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 26 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Revealing why he turned down KKR’s offer to play in the IPL, Hales, on his social media accounts, wrote:
“I am sad to announce that I have made the extremely difficut decision to withdraw from forthcoming IPL. 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 said in a statement on Twitter.
“I 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 [Brendon McCullum], Shreyas [Iyer] and the team the best of luck for the tournament and hope to see the Knight Riders fans at some point in the future,” added Hales.
— Alex Hales (@AlexHales1) March 11, 2022