Happy Birthday Sunil Narine: Best Performances in the IPL by KKR All-rounder

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNIL NARINE: Sunil Narine has been a force to be reckoned with since he made his international debut in 2011 against India. The all-rounder has been a match winner for his Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders since he joined the team in 2012. The West Indfies spin great has made batters sweat with the variations in his bowling. Sunil Narine was among the chief architects of Kolkata’s IPL trophies in 2012 and 2014. In 162 fixtures, he has taken 163 wickets and scored 1046 runs. As the Trinidadian turns 35, take a look at his best performances in the IPL.

1. 5/19 against Kings XI Punjab (2012)Sunil Narine single-handedly demolished Kings XI Punjab with his spell of 5/19. In four overs, the spinner gave 14 dot balls. The match was extra special for Sunil Narine as it was his first game at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
2. 4/15 vs Mumbai Indians (2012)In the 2012 edition, Sunil Narine’s spin magic proved too much for Mumbai Indians. Chasing 140 runs, Mumbai were bowled out for 108. Narine was the star of the game and scalped the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Rohit Sharma and RP Singh. KKR won the game by 32 runs and almost sealed the deal for the playoffs.
3. 3/33 vs Kings XI Punjab (2013)It seems that Kings XI Punjab is one of Sunil Narine’s favourite opponents and his performance against them over the years is testament to this. In Mohali, Sunil Narine dismissed David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood and Gurkeerat Singh to bring Punjab to 99/6 in 15 overs. But, the Punjab-based franchise managed to turn the tables, courtesy of their bowlers, and win the fixture by 4 runs.
4. 54 off 17 vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2016)This time for Sunil Narine, the explosive batter, to turn up. He was at his fearsome best against Royal Challengers Bangalore when he smashed 50 off 15 deliveries at the Chinnaswamy stadium. His powerful innings, which included 6 fours and 4 sixes, remains among the fastest half-centuries smashed in the tournament.
5. 4/21 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (2021)Sharjah witnessed Sunil Narine’s magic with the ball as he managed to demolish RCB’s lethal batting unit in the Eliminator. Sunil Narine managed to send Virat Kohli, Srikar Bharat, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell back to the dugout. When KKR were given 139 runs to chase, the Trinidadian managed to score 26 off 15 deliveries.