IPL Auction 2020: Aaron Finch becomes the first player to be a part of 8 IPL franchises
What's the story?
Australian opener Aaron Finch was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a price of ₹4.40 Crores in the IPL Auction 2020. With this signing, Finch has become the first player in IPL history to be a part of eight different franchises.
The background
Aaron Finch began his IPL career with the Rajasthan Royals in 2010. He then moved to Delhi Daredevils and played two seasons for them. Pune Warriors snapped him up next but because of their disbandment, he entered the auction pool once again. Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for IPL 2014 before he switched to Mumbai Indians in 2015.
Gujarat Lions became his sixth IPL team in 2016. He was an integral part of the team in their brief existence however, after Gujarat's exit, he found himself without a team in the IPL. Kings XI Punjab bought him in the IPL Auction 2018 and, in 2019, Finch opted out of the tournament.
The heart of the matter
The Royal Challengers Bangalore went head to head with Kolkata Knight Riders in a bidding war at the auction before sealing Finch's services. Apart from Finch, no other player has played for more than six IPL teams. Indian stars Yuvraj Singh and Parthiv Patel have been a part of 6 IPL teams each.
What's next?
Royal Challengers have bolstered their batting line-up with the addition of Aaron Finch. They already had Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the squad. Finch's inclusion will bring more variety to their batting department.