IPL 2022: KKR overseas stars set to miss first five games of the season
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have been jolted with a body blow before the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) as the Australian duo of Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins won’t be available for the team’s first five matches due to international commitments.
Knight Riders’ mentor David Hussey shared the update on Cummins and Finch in a virtual press conference. Hussey was also clear cut in saying that cricketers should put international cricket as a priority over any other form of cricket.
KKR mentor opens up on Cummins and Finch
“I think Cummins and Finch will miss the first five games but they will be cricket fit and cricket ready. So, once they hit the ground running, both quality people and they will fit into the dressing room perfectly well,” Hussey was quoted as saying.
“Well, it is a concern, you want your best players available, but international cricket should be the priority. Every cricketer should want to play international cricket for their countries so they have commitments that way,” he added.
The Knights roped in Finch after England’s Alex Hales pulled out of the tournament due to ‘bubble fatigue’. Finch is currently in Pakistan where he is set to lead Australia in a three-match ODI series and a solitary T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Cummins, on the other hand, is taking part in the three-match Test series against Babar Azam and Co. The third and final Test in Lahore is currently taking. The pacer performed exceptionally on Day three as he picked up a five-wicket haul in Pakistan’s first innings.
Cummins played for the Knights for two seasons after being bought at INR 15.50 crores for the 2020 edition. Ahead of the mega auction in February, KKR released him and rebought him at a price of INR 7.25 crores. They bagged him after a bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans.
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The Knights, in the meantime, are set to start their campaign on Saturday, March 26 against the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. KKR are also set to start their journey under new skipper Shreyas Iyer after they released both Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan.