Sunil Narine completes 150 IPL matches for KKR: Key stats
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Thursday (April 6) thrashed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 81 runs to claim their first win in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). The contest also saw Sunil Narine become the first player to play 150 games for KKR. Overall, he became the 22nd player to feature in as many IPL games. Here we decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
Narine made his IPL debut for KKR in 2012 and has been a vital part of the team ever since. He played an instrumental role in guiding the side to the titles in the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Narine was at his best against RCB as he claimed 2/16 in four overs. He claimed important wickets of Virat Kohli (23) and Shahbaz Ahmed (1).
Seventh player to play 150 games for a team
Narine became only the seventh player to complete 150 IPL games for a franchise. He joined Virat Kohli (225 for RCB), MS Dhoni (205 for CSK), Kieron Pollard (189 for MI), Rohit Sharma (183 for MI), Suresh Raina (176 for CSK), and AB de Villiers (156 for RCB). Besides Narine, Pollard and Kohli are the only aforementioned players to represent just one IPL team.
A look at his stats
With 155 wickets at 25, Narine is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Lasith Malinga (170 for MI) is the only other bowler to claim 150 or more wickets for a single team. His economy rate of 6.63 is only second to Rashid Khan (6.39) among bowlers with 60 or more IPL wickets. Narine owns the most four-wicket hauls in IPL (8).
Prowess in the batting department
Besides tormenting the bowlers, Narine has also made a significant mark in the batting department. In 2017, he reached his half-century off 15 balls versus RCB, the then joint-fastest IPL fifty. He equaled his former KKR teammate Yusuf Pathan. As of now, Pat Cummins and KL Rahul are above him on this list, having slammed 14-ball fifty apiece. Narine overall owns four IPL fifties.
A look at Narine's other note-worthy feats
Narine has received the "Player of the Match" award on 12 occasions. He has a hat-trick in IPL which he pinned down versus PBKS in Mohali in 2013. He dismissed the likes of David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood, and Gurkeerat Singh. In IPL, Narine was adjudged the Player of the Tournament in 2012 and the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2018.
How did the match pan out?
KKR had a patchy start after RCB skipper Faf du Plessis elected to field at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. They managed 47/2 in the powerplay. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (57) slammed his maiden IPL fifty even though he lost his batting partners. KKR were reduced to 89/5 before Shardul Thakur (68) and Rinku Singh (46) propelled them to 204/7. In reply, RCB were folded for 123.
