'No one likes me' - Aaron Finch had once reminded Tim Paine of one IPL franchise that he has not played for

The 2020 Indian Premier League Auction wound up in Kolkata last night and as is always the case, the Australians were in huge demand with the likes of Pat Cummins- the No.1 ranked Test bowler in the world- and Glen Maxwell setting the Moneyball rolling with whopping bids of Rs 15.5 and 10.75 Crore respectively. But, apart from Pat Cummins and Glen Maxwell, it was Aaron Finch’s selection by the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Finch was gobbled by RCB for Rs 4.8 Crore and as soon as the news broke, an old video with Tim Paine and Aaron Finch once again starting to do the rounds. The video was from the Boxing Day Test during India’s triumphant tour of Australia last summer. It all started when Australian Captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine was trying to induce a false shot from Rohit off Lyon.

Paine said, “Too many Poms now, the (Rajasthan) Royals. If Rohit hits a six, I am turning into a Mumbai fan” And then turning to Finch, Paine continued: “You have played for every team now.” Aaron Finch, who played for Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 IPL, responded: “Except Bangalore.” Tim Paine, while running to the other end after the conclusion of the over said: “Haven’t you got there? Virat doesn’t like you,” and Finch replied with: “No one likes me, that’s why I keep moving.”

RCB will be the eighth franchise that Aaron Finch will represent

Aaron Finch has played for as many as seven franchises in the Indian Premier League and Royal Challengers Bangalore will be his eighth. The Australian white-ball captain had opted out of the last edition of the Indian Premier League in a bid to prepare for the fifty-over World Cup in England. In 75 IPL games, the swashbuckling opening batsman has scored 1737 runs at an average of 25.93 and a strike-rate of 130.7.

It will be interesting to see how Kohli and the team management will shape up their opening combination. Apart from Finch, RCB also roped in  Sydney Thunder wicketkeeper and opener Josh Phillipe and they already have Devdutt Padikkal and Parthiv Patel at their disposal. With Padikkal a lock at the opening slot, and considering the fact that Parthiv’s strength lies in batting during the powerplay overs, deciding the two openers is sure to give a lot of headaches to Virat and Simon Katich.

Aaron Finch will be playing for RCB! remember this?pic.twitter.com/GiFWPpbW7y#IPLAuction2020

— Nikhil Mane 🏏🇦🇺 (@nikhiltait) December 19, 2019