IPL 2022: Aaron Finch replaces Alex Hales in Shreyas Iyer-led KKR squad after Englishman's withdrawal

Just ahead of the much-awaited IPL 2022 edition's season-opener, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got a big blow as Englishman Alex Hales has withdrawn from the ten-team tournament citing bio-bubble fatigue. Earlier, Gujarat Titans' (GT) Jason Roy had also pulled out of the upcoming season of the cash-rich league, due to bubble fatigue.

With Hales not participating in the IPL 15 season, he was been replaced by Australia's white-ball captain Aaron Finch. It is to be noted that Finch had gone unsold in the IPL 2022 mega auction, which was held in mid-February, after he wasn't part of the previous edition. Prior to the last year's season, he had also failed to draw a single bid in the IPL 2021 auction. By joining KKR, Finch is all set to play for his 9th IPL franchise. He is joining the two-time winners for INR 15 million (INR 1.5 crore); the same price for which Hales was roped in during the mega auction.

Finch's IPL career has been a rollercoaster ride. He has so far representedPunjab Kings (PBKS), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Gujarat Lions (GL), Delhi Capitals (then known as Delhi Daredevils), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI). In T20s, he has over 10,000 runs with an average of over 30 and a strike rate close to 140.

The Shreyas Iyer-led KKR unit will play the opening game of the season, versus four-time champions and defenders MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 26 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Complete squad of KKR for IPL 2022:

Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Baba Indrajith, Abhijit Tomar,Sam Billings, Aaron Finch, Rasikh Dar, Ashok Sharma, Tim Southee,Pat Cummins, Nitish Rana,Shivam Mavi, Anukul Roy, Chamika Karunaratne, Pratham Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Md Nabi