IPL franchises pick Aaron Finch due to his reputation, not form: Wasim Jaffer

The Australian limited-overs captain Aaron Finch was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2022 mega auction. However, he has not been able to contribute runs in a consistent manner. In five innings, the opener has scored 86 runs at an average of 17.20, with the top score of 58. In the ongoing fixture against Mumbai Indians (MI), he was dropped from the team. Ahead of the fixture, the former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer shared his views on the form of Finch and the KKR team.

Jaffer mentioned that the Australian captain has played for a record nine franchises in IPL history, which depicts his inconsistency. He added that Finch is picked in the IPL due to his reputation and not on current form. The former batter further added that Finch has lost his aggressive approach, and the bowlers find it easy to dismiss him, particularly with the in-swinging delivery.

“Playing for nine franchises depicts his inconsistency. If he would have played well, the franchises would have retained him. I think most of the franchises pick him up due to his reputation and nothing else. In this season, he came as a replacement for Alex Hales, and apart from one good innings, he has been disappointing,” said Jaffer on Sky247.net presents ‘Not Just Cricket’ Show on CricTracker.

“He was known to be an aggressive and power-packed player, but he is not that anymore, and the bowlers don’t fear him anymore. In an attempt to negate the inswinging delivery, he is losing his other scoring opportunities as well,” he added.

KKR players are in a bad state of mind: Wasim Jaffer

Jaffer reckoned that the team has not shown trust in their retained players and the fast bowler Pat Cummins. The 44-year-old further added that due to the instability in the team, the players doubt themselves and try to play for keeping their place in the side, which shows their bad state of mind. In the ongoing fixture against MI, KKR made five changes.

“You have batters until the number 7 or 8 position, but if you get dismissed for a score of 101, they will be very disappointed. Their line-up has been unstable, and the retained players have warmed the benches, and you have not shown faith in a player like Pat Cummins. A player doubts himself and tries to retain his place on the side, and is in a bad state of mind,” Jaffer added.