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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cricketers Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh have checked into the team hotel ahead of IPL 2022, which is slated to commence on March 26.
The franchise recently shared a video where Rinku and Rana were spotted entering the hotel in Mumbai after a long flight journey. Nitish Rana was even spotted sporting a new hairdo, having colored his hair purple, which is the team's jersey color.
The Knight Riders captioned the video as:
"Aate hi vibing shuru?! 😁 @rinkukumar12 @nitishrana_official#KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2022."
Both Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh were part of the team last season and the franchise managed to reacquire their services at the IPL 2022 mega auction. Rana was roped in for a whopping ₹8 crore while the cricketer from Uttar Pradesh fetched ₹55 lakh.
Both cricketers are expected to strengthen Kolkata's middle-order that lacks a bit of experience.
Rinku has so far played 10 IPL matches, scoring 77 runs, while Rana has 77 matches under his belt, and has amassed 1820 runs at an average of 28, including 13 fifties.
KKR sign Aaron Finch as Alex Hales' replacement for IPL 2022
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch has joined the Kolkata-based franchise as Alex Hales' replacement, who pulled out citing bubble-fatigue.
The T20 World Cup-winning captain, who went unsold at the mega auction last month, went at his reserve price of ₹1.5 crore. Kolkata will be Finch's ninth IPL franchise.
The 35-year-old captain, who was in superlative form for the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, will hope to replicate that success in the 15th edition of the cash-rich league.
“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," Kolkata CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.
The two-time IPL champions will begin their campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on March 26 at the Wankhede Stadium.
