Former England opener Alex Hales has signed a deal with the Knight Riders franchise. He will be representing their teams in the Major League Cricket (MLC) and Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Due to this new commitment, Hales will not be playing in either the T20 Blast or The Hundred this year. Here are further details on the same. Hales, who retired from international cricket in 2023, has been a key player for Nottinghamshire since 2008. However, he recently moved to Dubai and decided against renewing his contract with the club this summer. While this decision marks a pause in his long-standing relationship with Trent Bridge, he hasn't ruled out a potential return in the future. In a statement, Hales said he loved Trent Bridge and the memories he made there. The last 17 years playing at Trent Bridge for Notts have been an absolute pleasure, and it remains my favorite place in the world to play cricket, he said. He added some of his best cricketing memories were made while representing Notts. Notts's director of cricket Mick Newell said Hales would always be welcome back at the club, if his schedule allows. While he won't be joining us this summer, we are by no means closing the door on him making a return to Notts at some stage in the future, Newell said. He also noted the drastic changes in Hales's personal life and global cricket since his debut 17 years ago. Hales will be playing for Los Angeles and Trinbago teams in MLC and CPL respectively. Depending on the final dates, he could also return to the Lanka Premier League (LPL) between the two tournaments or feature in the new European T20 Premier League. This move is in line with Venky Mysore's vision of players signing year-round contracts with an IPL franchise, taking another step toward that goal.