Sunil Narine added a new feather to his illustrious cap in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during match No. 45 of the ongoing season between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on May 3.
Narine was phenomenal and highly effective with the ball in hand. He ensnared the SRH batters in his mystery and left them dazed. He got the big wicket of Ishan Kishan (42 off 29), who was posing a threat to KKR and also outfoxed Salil Arora. The mystery spinner finished with figures of 2/31 and bowled a total of 12 dot deliveries.
Narine became the first overseas player to claim 200 wickets in the IPL. Overall, he is the third player to reach the milestone. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 228 wickets in 183 matches. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the second on the list with 215 wickets in 199 matches.
However, what makes Narine’s feat more special is that all his wickets have come for a single franchise, i.e. Kolkata Knight Riders. Both Bhuvneshwar and Chahal have played for multiple teams in the IPL. While Bhuvneshwar has played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Pune Warriors India (PWI), Chahal has represented RCB, Rajasthan Royals (RR), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).
Narine has what no other 200-club bowler in IPL has
Sunil Narine has the best economy rate out of the three players who are a part of the 200-club in the IPL. Narine has claimed his wickets at an economy rate of 6.79. Bhuvneshwar has fetched his wickets at an economy of 7.68, whereas Chahal’s economy rate is 8.03.
What’s more important is that Narine has shown no signs of slowing down. The 37-year-old has already retired from international cricket, but his drive for success in T20s knows no bounds.
