Image: Sunil Narine took 3 wickets against Delhi Capitals, turning the game for KKR / © UC Cricket
A young boy from the shores of West Indies, with spikes and a funky face, Sunil Narine’s introduction to the Indian Premier League has been a story for ages as being an off-spinner, Sunil Narine has been an absolute nightmare for the opposition. When Sunil Narine made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, he came out as a mystery spinner who made it difficult for the batters to survive on the pitch. From the era of Sachin Tendulkar, AB de Villiers, and Ricky Ponting to troubling today’s stars like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Prithvi Shaw, Narine has consistently challenged the best and highlighting his incredible longevity.
Such is the Greatness of Sunil Narine who continues to trouble the batsman even after the 13 years of his career. One such moment came up during the IPL 2025 match where the Kolkata Knight Riders were up against the Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The new version of Sunil Narine, who now stars with the bat as well, first made a notable contribution of 27 runs off just 16 balls, allowing the Kolkata Knight Riders to post a total of 204 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.
After scoring runs with the bat, it was the time for Sunil Narine to showcase his skills with the ball in hand and the mystery spinner again came to the rescue for the Kolkata Knight Riders team. In the 7th over of the match, Sunil Narine started turning out the match for the KKR team by running out the best batsman of the Delhi Capitals, KL Rahul for just 7 runs of 5 balls, leaving the team to 60/3.
But a partnership between Axar Patel and Faf du Plessis saw the Delhi team going smoothly for a run chase. In the 12th over, the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders team, Ajinkya Rahane went out with an injury on the finger and hence Sunil Narine was the stand in captain who brought himself back in the attack in the 14th over and straightaway, he removed the well set Axar Patel for 43 runs off 23 balls and then in the same over, he got rid of Tristan Stubbs with an amazing off-spin delivery and left him bamboozled for just 1 run off 3 balls to bring back the KKR team into the game.
With the game tilting in the favour of the Kolkata Knight Riders after a double-wicket over, Sunil Narine immediately gave himself another over and in his last over of the game, he managed to dismiss the well set Faf du Plessis for 62 runs of 45 balls who was caught at the midwicket boundary and it soon turned out to be the match set for the Kolkata Knight Riders team who managed to take off the win by 14 runs and got the two desired points in the points table. With an outstanding all-round performance, Sunil Narine showed that age is just a number. Even after all these years, the fire within him to perform remains alive, and he continues to be an irreplaceable asset for the KKR team.
For the Kolkata Knight Riders team, Sunil Narine made his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2012 and quickly became one of the most feared bowlers in the tournament. Known for his mystery spin and economical bowling, Narine has played a key role in KKR’s success over the years. His ability to take wickets while keeping the run rate low has made him one of the most valuable players in the league.
In his debut season in 2012, Narine made an immediate impact by taking 24 wickets in just 15 matches. His best performance that season was 5 wickets for 19 runs. He bowled economically, giving away runs at just 5.47 per over, and had a brilliant average of 13.50. This was the start of a long and successful journey in the IPL.
The 2013 and 2014 seasons were also strong for Narine. In 2013, he took 22 wickets in 16 matches with an average of 15.90. In 2014, he picked up 21 wickets at an average of 19.38. He remained economical, with a bowling economy of just over 6 runs per over. These consistent performances helped KKR build pressure on the opposition.
Narine’s 2015 season was quieter with 7 wickets in 8 matches, but he bounced back in later seasons. In 2017 and 2018, he was again a key player. In 2018, Narine not only took 17 wickets with the ball but also scored 357 runs with the bat, his highest in any IPL season. He hit 40 fours and 23 sixes that year and had a strike rate of 189.89, showing he could be explosive with the bat when needed.
His bowling in 2018 was also effective with an economy of 7.65 and an average of 27.47. Even in seasons where he didn’t get many wickets, like in 2020 and 2022, he continued to maintain pressure with tight bowling. In 2022, he gave away just 5.57 runs per over—the most economical in that season for him since 2013.
In 2024, Narine had a strong season again, picking up 17 wickets in 15 matches. His bowling average was 21.65, and he bowled at a good economy rate of 6.69. He also scored 488 runs with the bat, including his only IPL century, a high score of 109. This was a standout all-round season for him. In 2025, even after over a decade in the league, Narine continued to perform well.
He took 10 wickets in 9 matches, and though his economy was slightly higher at 7.70, he still managed to make important breakthroughs for KKR. Over his IPL career, Sunil Narine has played 186 matches and taken 190 wickets. His best bowling performance remains 5/19. He has been known for his ability to deliver in crucial moments and keep the opposition under control. With an overall economy of 6.77 and a strike rate of 22.49, Narine has been a true match-winner for Kolkata Knight Riders.