Australia lifted their maiden ICC T20 World Cup title in 2021 under the leadership of Aaron Finch.
Regarded as one of Australia’s finest white-ball captains, Finch guided his side to glory on the global stage. The opening batter featured in 103 T20Is, captaining in 76 of them, and left a lasting legacy in the shortest format.
Across his international T20 career, the right-hander amassed 3,120 runs at an impressive average of 34.29 and a striking strike rate of 142.54. His tally included two centuries and 19 half-centuries, cementing his place among Australia’s all-time T20 greats.
In the Indian Premier League (IPL), Finch played 92 matches and scored 2,091 runs at an average of 24.89, registering 15 fifties. Notably, he represented nine different franchises and even captained the now-defunct Pune Warriors India during his IPL stint.
Leading in the IPL Was Probably the Toughest: Aaron Finch
In an interview with The Cricket Monthly, Aaron Finch revealed that captaining a team in the IPL was more challenging than leading Australia. He attributed this to the short, intense nature of the tournament.
“IPL was probably the hardest because you’re coming together for such a short period,” Finch explained. “At Pune Warriors, I joined as a replacement player, and just two or three games later, I was made captain. I didn’t have enough time to really get to know everyone in the squad, which is incredibly challenging.”
He contrasted this with his experience leading Australia, saying, “When you captain Australia, you’re working with some of the best players in the world who already know what they’re doing. My job was much easier there. In the IPL, I wasn’t as consistent as I was with the Renegades or Australia. At times, the pressure to perform and trying too hard to make things happen weighed heavily on me.”
Over his IPL career, Finch represented nine different franchises. He made his IPL debut in 2010 with Rajasthan Royals and last played in 2022 for Kolkata Knight Riders. His journey also included stints with Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Pune Warriors India, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and Royal Challengers Bangalore.