KOLKATA: Star bowler and allrounder Sunil Narine’s blazing 109-run knock powered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 223/6 against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 match at the iconic Eden Gardens on Tuesday.
With his ton, Narine became the first cricketer to slam a century and take 100 wickets in the IPL. The Caribbean’s blitzkrieg knock helped KKR give a massive 224-run target to Rajasthan.
After winning the toss, the Hyderabad-based franchise sent KKR to bat first at Eden Gardens. However, Sanju Samson’s decision did not go in their favour, as they failed to take early wickets in the first inning.
Philip Salt (10 runs from 13 balls) and Sunil Narine (109 runs from 56 balls) opened for Kolkata and made a partnership of 21 runs. Salt failed to shine in the game and could smash only one four. However, the English wicketkeeper-batsman’s knock came to an end in the fourth over after Avesh Khan dismissed him.
After the first dismissal, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (30 runs from 18 balls) built up a solid 25-run partnership with Narine, which helped KKR add some crucial runs to the scoreboard.
In the 11th, RR’s Kuldeep Sen came to rescue and removed Raghuvanshi from the crease. The 18-year-old batter slammed 5 fours at a strike rate of 166.67.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer (11 runs from 7 balls) replaced Raghuvanshi and slammed 1 four and six during his time on the crease. Yuzvendra Chahal picked up his 199th wicket in the IPL after dismissing Iyer in the 13th over.
Andre Russell (13 runs from 10 balls) came onto the crease to replace the KKR skipper. Russell slammed 2 fours at a strike rate of 130.
Meanwhile, Narine’s stupendous knock came to an end in the 18th over after Trent Boult picked up the Caribbean’s wicket. The 35-year-old hit 13 fours and 6 sixes at a strike rate of 194.64. He also became the first KKR player to hit a century at the Eden Gardens in front of their home crowd.
After the dismissal of Narine, Rinku Singh (20 runs from 9 balls) and Venkatesh Iyer (8 runs from 6 balls) took charge and added crucial runs at the end of the first inning. However, Venkatesh was dismissed by Kuldeep in the last over of the first inning. He could slam just one four.
KKR’s Rinku and Ramandeep Singh (1 run from 1 ball) were on the crease during the end of the first inning. Avesh Khan and Kuldeep Sen led the RR bowling attack after both players picked up two wickets in their respective spells. Meanwhile, Boult and Chahal scalped one wicket.
Brief score: Kolkata Knight Riders 223/6 (Sunil Narine 109, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30, Rinku Singh 20*; Avesh Khan 2/35) vs Rajasthan Royals. (ANI)