It was way back in 2012 that a 23-year-old Trinidadian rocked up on Indian shores to take the Indian Premier League (IPL) by storm. With an inimitable Mohawk and a poker face, Sunil Narine bagged the prestigious MVP award, along with the IPL trophy, after scalping 24 wickets at a phenomenal economy of 5.47.
After 13 seasons in the league, after multiple frictions with the ICC over bowling action and with the West Indies Cricket Board regarding national commitment, he still remains a four-over bank for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Maybe, a bit more than that. Now 36, Narine became the first player to become a three-time MVP in IPL 2024. His contributions: 17 wickets at 6.69 and 488 runs striking at 180.74.
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On an April evening in 2017 against the rechristened Kings XI Punjab, then KKR captain Gautam Gambhir stunned everyone by asking Sunil Narine to walk out with him. The 'mystery' spinner blasted 37 off 18 balls with four boundaries and three maximums. It was the start of a thrill-a-minute series. Gambhir even pushed himself down the order to enable Narine and Chris Lynn to personify ‘powerplay’. It saw them record the highest IPL score in the first six overs – 105 against RCB away.
But as Gambhir left for his home side Delhi and eventually quit the IPL, Sunil Narine’s form with the bat evaporated too. He hit 357 runs at 189.89 in new skipper Dinesh Karthik’s first season. But the Caribbean superstar was a pinch hitter at best. Bowlers soon exposed his frailties and the runs dried up. From being an opener and toying with the bowling, Narine became a floater to eventually being pushed down to the tail.
Until Gambhir joined hands with KKR, once again, this time as mentor. And once again, despite having hardly any run under his belt, he asked Sunil Narine to open the batting. And he turned back the clock to the glory days of the Knight Riders. His combination with another explosive hitter in Phil Salt went a long way in sealing a third title for KKR.
Sunil Narine’s steady decline since IPL 2024
As strangely synced Sunil Narine and Gautam Gambhir’s dynamics are, a little after the IPL ended, the KKR all-rounder couldn’t buy a run in the Major League Cricket 2024.
Captaining the Los Angeles Knight Riders, Narine opened the batting in all six matches and returned single digits on all occasions. He got out to a fast bowler every time, aggregating only 27 runs at an embarrassing average of 4.50. It affected his bowling too, as he managed five wickets in six outings. And the team bore the brunt of it all, finishing second from bottom with only two wins.
Sunil Narine’s fortunes didn’t change much at the Caribbean Premier League 2024. While he began well with a 19-ball 38 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, he couldn’t cross 15 in the next six innings, missing four in between due to a quad injury. He picked up 12 wickets, though, as Kieron Pollard led the Trinbago Knight Riders to the playoffs.
It's a new year, a fresh season, but the narrative hasn't changed. Narine, however, didn’t try to force the issue and in the best interest of his team, demoted himself to where it all began for him. The 36-year-old let go of his opening slot in the recently-held International League T20 2025. He did come out as a floater, though, in a couple of games, but to no avail. His bowling basket wasn’t heavy either with just five wickets from 10 games. The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ dismal run continued as they finished last with only three wins.
Sunil Narine since the start of IPL 2024:
How KKR should line up in IPL 2025
As the curtain is raised on IPL 2025 today, March 22, Sunil Narine won’t have Gautam Gambhir by his side. He won’t have a cushion of runs either.
“It's based on how the team goes. Obviously, I'd like to open like last year, but it's based on what the team needs at this point in time. I think you have to wait for the first game and see," Sunil Narine said at a media event in Kolkata on March 19, when asked about his batting position.
With the advent of the Impact Player rule, teams tend to have an extra specialised player as per their innings. Having an opener and a marquee overseas player out of form is the equivalent of going to war without bullets. Narine skipped both the intra-squad matches. In training, though, he practised range-hitting, took throwdowns, while batting in pairs with Quinton de Kock and Rinku Singh, among others.
There’s of course an option to partner Sunil Narine with Ajinkya Rahane. But KKR shelled out ₹3.6 crore for Quinton de Kock for a close like-for-like replacement to Phil Salt. And taking the South African, who’s also a wicketkeeper, away from his bread-and-butter slot, would be like taking a fish out of water. The duo of de Kock and Rahane, with Narine down the order, will not only restore a left-right combination but also lend more balance to the side.
There will be significant pressure on Rahane to perform as both batter and leader. He was dismissed cheaply in both practice games. Going by his net sessions, he has primarily looked to get into the groove. He also had to fly down to Mumbai for the captains’ meet.
KKR went after the Test veteran in the accelerated round of the IPL 2025 auction in the hope of reaping similar benefits that CSK did in the past two seasons. But Rahane here is captain of the defending champions. He would operate on an overworked mind.
The Mumbaikar aced the No. 3 role for MS Dhoni and Co. in IPL 2023 but, a closer look would tell you he couldn’t replicate the same the previous season. Both his average and strike rate dipped last year, before he was asked to open which saw a further decline.
Ajinkya Rahane across IPL 2023 and IPL 2024:
Yes, Ajinkya Rahane was Player of the Tournament in Mumbai’s victorious 2024/25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign. Yes, he played at No. 4 and logged an average of 44.33 at 162.19. But he reached another level as he opened in the last five matches with scores of 84(45), 98(56) and 37(30) in the knockouts.
Ajinkya Rahane in SMAT 2024/25:
The touch player that Rahane is, KKR might as well use his innate ability to find gaps and clear the infield during powerplay while being content with a 15-ball 30 every match.
Now his deputy, Venkatesh Iyer. Imagine the pressure of that ₹23.75 crore price tag, especially with people questioning it. The Kolkata Knight Riders probably did the right thing by not overburdening him with captaincy duties. The seam-bowling all-rounder, though, has always endured constant shuffle across the batting order. He has also served as the Impact Player, at times.
Iyer, though, has stroked himself into KKR folklore by hitting the winning shot of IPL 2024. It came on the back of two match-clinching fifties in the Qualifier 1 and final – 51* off 28 balls and 52* off 26 balls – both against SRH. Both the knocks came at No. 3 and were preceded by a 21-ball 42 against the Mumbai Indians.
The series of quickfire knocks came after he was all over the place, from opening all the way down to No. 8. Statistics point towards Venkatesh Iyer’s stability at No. 3, with his IPL best 104 off 51 balls coming in that position against MI in 2023. While he is capable of lusty hits, he likes to ease himself in.
Venkatesh Iyer across IPL 2023 and IPL 2024:
He, however, manned the middle order for Madhya Pradesh in SMAT 2024/25. Often guiding his team over the line, the 31-year-old finished with 227 runs at an average of 56.75 and a strike rate of 163.30 as MP finished runners-up
If Sunil Narine is deployed in the lower-middle order, it will also free up a slot for another batter as the Impact Player. One of Angkrish Raghuvanshi or Luvnith Sisodia could play on either side of Venkatesh Iyer. Going by the KKR nets, the Karnataka southpaw has looked in better touch. If at all, the wicketkeeper-batter could also open the door for both Andre Russell and Rovman Powell in the line-up.
Then comes, Rinku Singh. The one complaint everyone had of KKR last year was their underutilization of the rising star. For someone coming off a breakthrough season and an India debut, Rinku got only 113 deliveries throughout IPL 2024. His returns were hence underwhelming: 168 runs at an average of 18.67 with a highest of 26.
The 27-year-old also likes to knock singles around at the start, before taking the attack to the opposition. While he has played as a finisher for India, he has scored the majority of his runs at No. 5.
Rinku Singh across IPL 2023 and IPL 2024:
KKR’s strength, and also potential weakness, lies in their engine room. Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep Singh can singlehandedly destroy any opposition on a given day. All of them can be equally dangerous anywhere between Nos. 5 to 7. With Sunil Narine below them, the Knights will have the luxury of batting deep. The support staff has made sure pacers Harshit Rana and Spencer Johnson also go through their batting paces ahead of the IPL 2025 opener.
KKR probable playing 12: Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Luvnith Sisodia/Angkrish Raghuvanshi (impact), Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora (impact)
All said and done, considering the unpredictability of the IPL and that of Sunil Narine, there could always be a surprise (or let's say, mystery) in store.
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