"You can't find a better like for like replacement"- Fans troll KKR after they replace Ajinkya Rahane with Aaron Finch against SRH

Twitter reactions for game 25 of IPL 2022

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face off in the 25th game of IPL 2022, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, on Friday.

SRH are coming into this game on the back of consecutive victories while KKR have lost against Delhi Capitals in their previous game.

Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson won the toss and asked the opposition to bat first. Washington Sundar missed out for SRH due to the injury he sustained in the previous match. Left-arm orthodox spinner Jagadeesha Suchith replaced Sundar.

The Knight Riders dropped underperforming opening batter Ajinkya Rahane for this contest. Australian ODI and T20I skipper Aaron Finch took his place in the side.

Here are the playing XIs for the 25thh IPL 2022 match:

SRH Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Aiden Markram, Shashank Singh, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Marco Jansen, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

KKR Playing XI: Aaron Finch, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Umesh Yadav, Aman Hakim Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy

Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL Points Table | IPL Schedule

Fans were not impressed with KKR management's move to replace Ajinkya Rahane with Aaron Finch, as they felt both have similar game styles. They opined that KKR should have given a chance to an aggressive player like Sam Billings instead of going in with Finch.

Here are some of the reactions:

Aaron Finch in for Ajinkya Rahane. You cant find a better like for like replacement
#IPL2022 #SRHvKKR

Ajinkya Rahane has been rested by KKR after injuring his bat in the practice session

Ajinkya Rahane is Out, SRH right now https://t.co/YnHhOXajjU

#KKRvsSRH
Shreyas Iyer to Ajinkya Rahane https://t.co/4lACIvlEfo

#KKRvsSRH
finally the most fraud batsman in the world @ajinkyarahane88 not playing, congrats @KKRiders 🤗 #SRHVsKKR

@KKRiders Expecting lot from finch 🤦🤦 he is just another rahane ... May billings comes in for next match

@aritravo_auddy Good to see that KKR realised their mistake! An out of form Rahane should never be playing at this level!

Like they say, good teams change things faster than others! Rooting for KKR 🙌

@shivvamm8 Rahane finch not that much difference plus letting go an os slot

Thank you @KKRiders for dropping rahane. 🙏🏻
#SRHvsKKR twitter.com/KKRiders/statu…

@Akashkumarjha14 Tbh they won't find a more "like to like" replacement for rahane

#Finch vs #Bhuvi in his first spell would be one Interesting battle.. #IPL #IPL2022 #KKRvsSRH #SRHvsKKR

Aaron Finch is making his debut for the ninth franchise in IPL.
#KKRvsSRH #SRHvKKR #IPL2022 #IPL https://t.co/xXtOHudb2V

"Great to be with KKR"- Aaron Finch ahead of his debut for Knight Riders

Ahead of his debut game for the Kolkata franchise, Aaron Finch expressed his excitement. He expressed his hope that the team would continue to perform well after getting off to a good start in the tournament.

Speaking to the IPL broadcasters before the clash with SRH, Finch opened up about his preparations and stated:

"Great to be with KKR. The boys have got off to a great start and hopefully, we can continue tonight. It's a great franchise to be a part of. I feel my game's in really good order, the way I've been practising over the last couple of days and also the T20 in Pakistan."

As for the atmosphere in the Kolkata camp, Finch explained:

"It's a really calm group and Shreyas is leading brilliantly along with Brendon McCullum. There's been a bit of movement with the new ball at most venues so that's something that teams have had to deal with. It gets better and better as the game goes on, doesn't it? If you have to win the tournament, you have to win batting first at some point. It's just a great chance for this group to continue to push forward in the competition."

Unfortunately, Aaron Finch had a forgettable debut for Kolkata with the bat. He could muster only seven runs off five deliveries before SRH pacer Marco Jansen bowled him out in the second over of the innings.