From Mystery Bowler to IPL Legend: Sunil Narine's Journey with KKR

image-lfqr6r4wSunil Narine has been an integral part of the KKR set up for a long time now (Source: iplt20.com)

A calm and composed persona, an impeccable accuracy and a simple and lucid approach - These are some of the traits that have been associated with Sunil Narine over the years. 

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He has played cricket all over the globe and some people have also criticised him for not showing up in international cricket as often as he does in franchise cricket. However, even his greatest critic cannot deny the fact that Sunil Narine on the cricket field is an absolute legend.  Also, if anyone has to associate the globe-trotter with any one team it will be KKR. A franchise where the legend of Sunil Narine was born almost a decade ago in the famous 2012 edition of the Indian Premier League.

He is one of the few players in the IPL to ply his trade for only one franchise along with having a long and illustrious career in the IPL. He arrived in the IPL in 2012 as a 23-year old mystery bowler with a plethora of tricks in his kitty. At that point in time, KKR was still struggling to find its feet in the IPL but since that season Sunil Narine's rise became synonymous with KKR's rise as a formidable force in the IPL.

He made the "KORBO LORBO JEETBO RE" tagline a reality with his stellar performances as Kolkata Knight Riders went onto win the 2012 and 2014 season of the IPL. This was the period when the legend of Sunil Narine was born as the man from Trinidad and Tobago was almost unplayable in his first three seasons. He picked 24, 22 and 21 wickets in the 2012, 2013 and 2014 season respectively and had the economy rate close to 6 even though Gambhir used him both in the Powerplay and at the death.


The success for the KKR soon made Narine a global superstar and he also played a big role in Windies World Cup winning campaign in 2012. Over the years, plenty of things have changed in world cricket, the IPL teams have changed in their composition almost completely and even Narine's action has been restructured. However, one thing has not changed and that is - Sunil Narine's association with KKR.

The Kolkata franchise has stayed with the player through thick and thin and in the seasons where Narine could not deliver to his standards with the ball, he made an impact with the bat, mainly in 2017 and 2018. Thus, Narine has evolved himself as a cricketer over the years and with KKR evolving too, Narine's association with the KKR franchise has become stronger and stronger.

Sunil Narine is now in his mid-30s and has taken more than 450 wickets in T20 cricket and has scored over 3400 runs with the bat which makes him a true legend of the game. The legend though was born and has been groomed as a Knight Rider for over a decade now and we can just hope that this beautiful ride of the original Knight Rider keeps creating more memorable memories on the way.