Alex Hales is answering the call of franchise cricket, stepping away from his long-standing association with Nottinghamshire. The explosive England batsman has decided to skip the T20 Blast and The Hundred this summer, instead signing with the Knight Riders franchise. The 36-year-old will represent the team in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in the West Indies.
Since retiring from international cricket in 2023, Hales has been traveling the world playing in various franchise leagues. Earlier this year, he featured in six matches for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) before moving on to the ILT20 in the UAE. During the tournament, he surpassed Kieron Pollard to become the second-highest run-scorer in T20 history.
Hales now has 13,610 T20 runs, needing just 953 more to overtake Chris Gayle at the top of the all-time charts.
As part of his career reshuffle, Hales is cutting ties with Nottinghamshire, a club he has been an integral part of since 2008. Having recently settled in Dubai with his family, he has no plans to return to England for the summer.
The Knight Riders franchise operates in four major T20 leagues—Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20, Los Angeles Knight Riders in MLC, and Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL. Like Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, who regularly feature in multiple leagues for the franchise, Hales is now set to follow the same path.
Last year, Hales skipped six of Nottinghamshire’s 14 T20 Blast matches to play in the Lanka Premier League. He could once again feature in the Sri Lankan tournament this year, depending on scheduling, or he might opt to play in the newly launched European T20 Premier League, which will be held in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands.
Following Hales’ decision to prioritize overseas leagues, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has tightened its rules regarding No Objection Certificates (NOCs). This has led Hales to fully commit to playing abroad for the upcoming season.
Hales isn’t alone in making such a move—James Vince has also stepped away from red-ball cricket to focus on franchise leagues, while Jason Roy previously left his ECB central contract to play in the MLC.
Despite his departure, Hales has expressed his desire to return to Nottinghamshire in the future. The club’s Director of Cricket, Mick Newell, has assured that the doors will always be open for him.
