Sunil Narine reflects on his 10-year long journey with Kolkata Knight Riders

On 8th April 2012, West Indies’ Sunil Narine made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). The mystery off-spinner is set to play his 150th game for the Kolkata-based franchise on 18th April 2022 against the same opposition.

In an interview with KKR’s media team, Narine opened up on his 10-year association with the franchise. He stated that he would love to end his IPL journey in KKR’s purple and gold. 

“I have always told Venky [Mysore, CEO of KKR] that hopefully, I don’t play for any other franchise, I have loved my stay at KKR so hopefully I start and finish here."

Narine stressed the importance of practice in developing new variations and their effective replication on the ground. The off-spinner has been renowned for slowing down the run flow and picking wickets regularly. Narine credited his longevity with one franchise and incredible consistency to sweating out in the nets.

“I think over the last two-three years, I have practised the most in my life. So, the more you do it, the more consistent you can be but it just goes on form at the time.”

The Trinidadian had come under the scanner for suspect bowling action multiple times. So, he had to remodel his action; during the course, he started bowling from the back of the hand (hiding the ball). After working closely with Carl Crowe, Narine was successful in perfecting it.

He commented about his back-of-the-hand ball, “It gives me a slight upper hand because batters can only see the ball at the point of delivery. He (Crowe) was more keen to getting it started even sooner but it all worked out the way it was supposed to work out.”

Narine revealed that he has enjoyed playing under every KKR skipper since his debut, and they have all given him the freedom to set his field.

“...I have had a good relationship with all the captains. When we go on the field, I ask them what they need of me and then I try to produce whatever is possible.”

Narine, a two-time IPL champion with KKR, recalled his most memorable batting performance. His 54 runs in 15 balls against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had shocked the opposition. 

“Opening the batting was new, and guys were bowling to their plans and weren’t taking me as seriously…. It was a great batting experience.”

While Narine has lost some of his charm with time, the experienced all-rounder is still one of the most crucial players for the Knights, and he still holds the calibre to change the game's outcome single-handedly.