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'Embarrassed' Finch sets unique IPL record

Victorian establishes himself as the tournament's official journeyman by joining seventh franchise in 2018

Aaron Finch has created an unusual record in the Indian Premier League by becoming the first player to take the field for seven different franchises.

Finch, who could well be in line to take on the national captaincy in Australia's limited-overs teams later this year due to the suspensions of Steve Smith and David Warner, is plying his trade with Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018.

His arrival at the Mohali-based team adds to a lengthy list, preceded by the Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Lions.

"It's a little bit embarrassing to be honest," Finch told cricket.com.au with a grin.

"Two of the teams that I played for – one was Rajasthan that I came in as a replacement player and only played the last game of the tournament. The other was Pune (and) the year after I captained, they folded.

"I suppose you could almost take two of them out.

"It's still seven – it's a lot isn't it?"

Image Id: BA7BAEF8DABC41EB98FBC387A0E9DC79 Image Caption: Finch celebrates a win with the Gujarat Lions // BCCI

Finch missed Punjab's opening match of the tournament but had a reasonable excuse for his absence – his wedding.

He has since endured a horror start to his 2018 campaign – lbw for a first-ball duck twice in succession – but he says the franchise, under Australian mentor Brad Hodge, is feeling optimistic about the tournament ahead.

"At the start of the tournament, everyone is always really excited to start off and get up and running," Finch said.

"It's a great bunch of guys, led by 'Hodgey' as the coach and (Ravi) Ashwin who's the captain, who's played so much Test cricket.

"It's always exciting playing with guys who have been so successful at the top.

"Sehwag is there (also in a mentoring role), Yuvraj (Singh) is there and (Chris) Gayle is an all-time legend of the game.

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"It's a got a really good feel about it – we've got a lot of youth which is fantastic.

"The ignorance of youth in T20 can sometimes be great, but we've also got a lot of experience around them to harness that naivety at times.

"It's a great balance to have."

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Finch said the benefits of playing under fellow opener and Test great Sehwag were significant.

"I've had a couple of really good chats with him," he said. "I played under his leadership at Delhi for a couple of years when I was a youngster as well.

"He's someone who thinks about the game the same way that he played – just an aggressive mindset, understands that T20 is a game where not everything goes your way.

Image Id: D0ECA9A414744AA8A57DB95056A4F98C Image Caption: Finch in 2014 with Sunrisers Hyderabad // BCCI

"You can be playing well and miss out, like in all cricket I guess, when you're looking to take guys on from the start.

"Things can sometimes not go your way. It's just about embracing that, making sure you're still being prepared for each and every contest that you're up for."

Kings XI currently sit second on the IPL table with two wins from three, and next play on Thursday night against Sunrisers Hyderabad; unsurprisingly, one of Finch's former teams.

Australian viewers can watch the 2018 season of the IPL exclusively on Fox Sports