Aaron Finch unavailable for IPL opener, Glenn Maxwell to miss out too

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set for the 11th edition as the fixtures were revealed yesterday (February 15). The season is set to kickstart on April 7 and will culminate on May 27. Defending and three-time champions Mumbai Indians will take on returning franchise and two-time IPL winner Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of IPL 2018 in what promises to be a high-octane clash.

However, in a recent development, it has been known that the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) franchise will miss the service of explosive batsman Aaron Finch for their IPL opener against the Delhi Daredevils. Subsequently, Delhi will be without their million dollar purchase Glenn Maxwell. The Australian duo, have a reasonable excuse for missing the beginning of this year’s tournament.

Finch, snapped up by KXIP in last month’s auction for $AUD 1.2million, will be busy tying the knot to his beau Amy Griffith, with the wedlock scheduled for early April. And he has appointed close friend Maxwell to MC the event. The two teams meet at the Ferozeshah Kotla on April 8 and with Finch tying the knot on April 7, it is impossible for him to arrive in time.

Although they’ll both miss the opening match in Delhi, the Victorian duo thankfully has strong existing bonds with their respective incoming Australian IPL coaches. Finch will play under former Bushrangers teammate Brad Hodge at Punjab while Maxwell is set to continue his close rapport with Australia T20 assistant coach and new Delhi mentor Ricky Ponting.

Finch speaks on his availability

Speaking to reporters in Auckland about his availability for IPL, Finch said, “I saw the fixture this morning – there’s no chance I’ll be missing my wedding. That’d be a bit tough leaving Amy at the altar, wouldn’t it?”

He added, “The second game we play is on the 13th, that’ll give me plenty of time to get over there and miss only one game luckily. It’s just a case of missing one game but hopefully playing with Kings over a three-year period, it’s not the end of the world.”