IPL 2021, CSK vs KKR: MS Dhoni vs Sunil Narine stats and records

Sunil Narine makes his first appearance of IPL 2021 on Wednesday, and it is evident why that has come against the Chennai Super Kings.

The spinner has a solid record against CSK, but it is his impressive record against MS Dhoni which stands out.

MS Dhoni has struggled to put Sunil Narine away, failing to pick the mystery spinner since facing him for the first time in 2012.

Here is the complete MS Dhoni vs Sunil Narine record breakup, and everything you need to know about the fierce rivalry.

2⃣ changes from our last game in Chennai!@SunilPNarine74 and @Kamleshnagark13 are 🔙 in the fold for tonight's game at the Wankhede.#KKRvCSK #KKRHaiTaiyaar #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/sefbElJDRA

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 21, 2021

MS Dhoni vs Sunil Narine record

MS Dhoni has faced a total of 63 balls from Sunil Narine over eight years in the IPL. The famed finisher has scored just 30 runs against the West Indian, meaning he has a strike rate of just 47.62 against Narine.

What is even more perplexing is that MS Dhoni has never hit a boundary against Sunil Narine in the IPL. Although he has been dismissed just once by Sunil Narine, MS Dhoni is yet to hit a four or six against him.

There is no particular reason why MS Dhoni struggles against Sunil Narine. The wicket-keeper batsman has failed to pick the bowler in the past, with Narine known for having several tricks up his sleeve.

Another reason behind the alarming record could be MS Dhoni’s tendency to start slow and accelerate at the death. Since Narine rarely bowls at the death these days, his middle-overs record may boost the numbers he boasts against MS Dhoni.

Here is the year-wise break up of the MS Dhoni vs Sunil Narine match-up.

A breakup of the Sunil Narine vs MS Dhoni battle

However, MS Dhoni is not the only CSK batsman Sunil Narine enjoys bowling against. The spinner generally does well against the Men in Yellow, as evidenced by his record.

Narine has picked up 14 wickets in 13 games against CSK, bowling at an economy rate of 6.12.

His average of 22.43 against CSK is marginally better than his IPL career average of 24.91, although his strike rate hovers around 22 in both instances.

Faf du Plessis v Sunil Narine in all T20 Cricket:28 balls16 runs1 wicketStrike rate: 57.14#IPL2021 #KKRvCSK

— The CricViz Analyst (@cricvizanalyst) April 21, 2021