IPL 2026: Aaron Finch urges KKR not to demote out-of-form Cameron Green down the order; ‘Push him either…’

Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has endured a disappointing IPL 2026 season so far with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

He is yet to get clearance from Cricket Australia (CA) to bowl in IPL 2026 matches, and his performance with the bat has been far from impressive, registering scores of 18, 2 and 4 from the first three matches.

KKR had acquired Cameron Green for ₹25.20 crore at the IPL 2026 mini-auction, thus making him the most expensive overseas player in IPL history.

Green has been recovering from a lower-back injury, which is why he is being monitored by CA and is strictly playing as a specialist batter.

"One of those dismissals has been a run out, not a part of his fault," Finch said on the ESPNCricinfo TimeOut show.

"Still, he's missed out twice. There's a bit of panic; he's not looking the same as in the past. Remember when he was at the top of the order for MI - how he had a totally different intent," he added.

He suggested that Kolkata Knight Riders should not push Green down the order. Instead, Green should bat up the order or rest him. Green has batted at No.3 in two of KKR's three matches so far, batting at No.4 in the other game.

"He was imposing at the crease. Now he looks tentative. Don't push him down. Push him either up the order, or give him a rest." Green's entry points in this tournament so far have been the sixth over, batting No. 3, the fifth over batting No. 4, and the second over batting No. 3," the 39-year-old explained.

He added that the Duckworth Lewis-Stern method works better for the team chasing down a total. The KKR vs PBKS match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was abandoned due to rain, with only 3.4 overs bowled. The hosts, who opted to bat first, were 25/2 at that stage, having lost Finn Allen and Cameron Green.

"That's an alarm bell for me. It's not that they're two down for 25. It's the fact that 'we shouldn't be batting'. You're making the wrong decision even when you've got all the information.

"There's cloud cover around. You're expecting rain. They had three hours of rain. Obviously, somebody has told them at some point - 'it might rain later' - you might need to chase later. DLS [calculations in truncated games] works better for the team batting second a little better. You've got all that information, so I don't understand how you get to the decision you'll bat first," explained Finch.

The no result meant that KKR finally earned their first point of IPL 2026, but the Ajinkya Rahane-led side are yet to clinch a win. They lost their first match to Mumbai Indians (MI) by six wickets before suffering a 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). KKR will next take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Eden Gardens on 9 April.