Sunil Narine Achieves 200 Wickets Milestone for KKR in IPL Match
Sunil Narine Reaches 200 Wickets for KKR
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] - On April 3, spinner Sunil Narine made history by becoming the first player in Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) history to take 200 wickets.
This remarkable achievement occurred during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
In his four-over spell, Narine conceded 30 runs and claimed the wicket of Kamindu Mendis.
Since his debut in 2012, Narine has played 189 matches for KKR, securing 200 wickets at an average of 24.14, with his best performance being 5/19, which is also his only five-wicket haul. He has recorded eight instances of taking four wickets in a match.
In the IPL, Narine ranks as the fourth-highest wicket-taker, amassing 182 wickets at an average of 25.60 over 180 matches, with his best figures also being 5/19. The remaining wickets for KKR were taken during the now-defunct Champions League T20, where he achieved 18 wickets in nine matches.
Narine holds the record for the second-most wickets by a bowler for a single team in T20s, trailing only Samit Patel, who has 208 wickets for Nottinghamshire.
In the match, SRH won the toss and opted to field first, a decision that initially paid off as they dismissed Quinton de Kock and Sunil Narine for single-digit scores, leaving KKR at 16/2. However, a strong counter-attack from Ajinkya Rahane (38 runs off 27 balls, including one four and four sixes) and Raghuvanshi (50 runs off 32 balls, with five fours and two sixes) helped KKR recover. Following their dismissals, Venkatesh Iyer (60 runs off 29 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Rinku Singh (32* runs off 17 balls, with four boundaries and a six) propelled KKR to a total of 200/6 in their 20 overs, thanks to a 91-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
For SRH, Mohammed Shami (1/29) and Harshal Patel (1/43) were the leading wicket-takers.
During the chase, SRH struggled significantly, losing wickets quickly. Vaibhav Arora (3/29) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/22) excelled in bowling, while only Heinrich Klaasen (33 runs off 21 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Kamindu Mendis (27 runs off 20 balls, with one four and two sixes) managed to score over 20 runs.
This victory marks a turning point for KKR, who now have two wins and two losses, placing them in fifth position. In contrast, SRH finds themselves at the bottom of the table with one win and three losses.