The Nottinghamshire batter has withdrawn from the 10-team tournament, scheduled to start on March 27, due to bubble fatigue
Kolkata Knight Riders have replaced Alex Hales with Aaron Finch for the upcoming Indian Premier League.
The English opener has pulled out of the 10-team tournament, which begins on March 26, due to bubble fatigue.
Hales has spent the winter in Australia - where he contracted Covid-19 - for the Big Bash League with Sydney Thunder, and at the Pakistan Super League with Islamabad United.
— Alex Hales (@AlexHales1) March 11, 2022
He briefly pulled out of the PSL before returning, but he has opted to take a break from the franchise scene due to the restrictions of bio-secure environments.
"Having spent the last four months away from home in restrictive bio bubbles and having tested positive for Covid myself in Australia, I don't feel as though I can commit myself to another extended period within a secure environment.
"It wouldn't be fair on the team or myself if I wasn't able to perform to the level expected of me as a result of ongoing bubble fatigue.
"I am truly gutted to have to turn down one of the best opportunities of my career due to the toil that the last two years of bubble life has taken on my mental well-being. I'll now take some time to rest and recharge ahead of the summer."
Shreyas Iyer will captain KKR this season (Sujeet Yadav/Getty Images)
Australia white-ball captain Finch, who went unsold during the recent IPL draft, has been enlisted as a like-for-like replacement for 1.5 crore (£146,736).
They are his ninth different IPL franchise ahead of what is the 15th edition of the competition.
In 87 matches, Finch has 2,005 IPL runs at 25.70 with a strike rate of 127.70.
He has a wealth of experience in the 20-over game, with 347 appearances in the format, and last year led Australia to World Cup glory in the United Arab Emirates.
(1/2) @VenkyMysore: "We respect Alex Hales' decision of choosing family and mental well-being over his participation in the upcoming season of the IPL. We will miss having him in the Galaxy of Knights this season, but we wish him all the best."
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 11, 2022
KKR chief executive Venky Mysore said: "We respect Alex Hales' decision of choosing family and mental well-being over his participation in the upcoming season of the IPL. We will miss having him in the Galaxy of Knights this season, but we wish him all the best.
"We are delighted to welcome Aaron Finch, the T20 World Cup-winning captain, to the Knight Riders family. He is excited about joining the rest of the KKR squad in Mumbai and we look forward to benefiting from his vast experience."
To mitigate the risk of Covid, this season's 74 matches will be split between just two cities in Mumbai and Pune. The 2020 and 2021 tournaments had to be at least partially hosted in the UAE as a result of the pandemic.
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