English cricketer Alex Hales announced on Friday that he has opted out of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League due to bio-bubble fatigue. His franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders who picked him for Rs 1.5 cr also accepted his decision.
The team has signed up Australian skipper Aaron Finch as his replacement. Finch who will be joining his 9th IPL franchise has been bought for the same amount as Hales.
The T20 World Cup-winning skipper who went unsold in the mega auctions has so far played 87 matches in IPL and has scored over 2000 runs.
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33-year-old Hales, who has spent as many as 4 months in bio-bubble while participating in different leagues like BBL, PSL, shared his decision through a post on Instagram. He had also tested positive for Covid-19 in Australia after which he withdrew from the Pakistan Super League.
Saying that it would be difficult for him to perform in the lucrative league due to the bubble fatigue, the batter wrote, I can't commit myself to spend another extended period within a secure environment. He has decided to spend time at home and prepare for the upcoming English domestic season.
The 2-time IPL winners, KKR who were the runner-up last year will begin their IPL campaign on March 26th with a match against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings.