IPL 2025 DC vs KKR | ‘Matchwinner’ Narine continues to work his magic

The View From India Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective. Karnataka Today Your daily dose of news highlights from Karnataka First Day First Show News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming. Today's Cache Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day. Science For All The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! Data Point Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers Health Matters Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there The Hindu On Books Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features. Published - April 30, 2025 05:28 pm IST - New Delhi Maximum impact: Narine’s three-wicket burst was chiefly responsible for KKR’s 14-run win over DC. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP You would never have known from Sunil Narine’s characteristically deadpan countenance that he delivered a match-winning performance on Tuesday night. Or indeed that he accomplished a significant milestone in his T20 career. By snaffling three scalps against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, the 36-year-old mystery spinner took his overall tally for Kolkata Knight Riders to 208 wickets. It is the joint-highest by any bowler for a single team in the shortest version — on par with former England all-rounder Samit Patel’s count for Nottinghamshire. 𝐀𝐥𝐥-𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 the Capital! 👑💜 pic.twitter.com/7y2fnvoZuG It is a testament to his enduring T20 legacy that Narine has kept himself relevant for more than a decade when most bowlers of his type retreat into oblivion once the element of surprise tapers off. Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis and Akila Dananjaya were examples. But Narine continues to stamp his imprint even in a season where he had taken only seven wickets in eight matches before Tuesday. On a sultry evening in the national capital, his figures of 4-0-29-3 were chiefly responsible for KKR sealing a 14-run win. In the space of six deliveries across the 14th and 16th overs, the West Indian sent back Axar Patel, Tristan Stubbs and Faf du Plessis to reduce Capitals from 136 for three to 146 for six in a chase of 205. In addition, he walloped a 16-ball 27 and effected the run-out of K.L. Rahul. “When Sunil came into bowl and picked up two (three) wickets, I thought that was the game for us,” KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane said. Narine has had to navigate his ups and downs. Having joined KKR in 2012, he was deadly to begin with, picking up 20-plus wickets in each of his first three seasons. But persistent scrutiny over his bowling action led to various tweaks that have had an adverse impact on his wicket-taking ability. He has never breached 20 wickets in an IPL season since, but he has also never had an economy rate of eight or above. Rahane was apt in his praise after the game: “He’s been a champion bowler for this franchise. A match-winner.” Terms & conditions  |  Institutional Subscriber Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments. We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.