Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top five T20 all-rounders of the year

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine picked up a whopping 63 wickets in T20s this year

One was always in the knowledge of the fact that Sunil Narine could make some use of the bat (he had hit Glenn Maxwell for four consecutive sixes in a Test way back in 2013). That he could use the willow to such telling effect, however, wasn't foreseen, and came to light only in 2017. Having initially been tried up the order for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, Narine became a regular feature at the top of the order for Gautam Gambhir's KKR in this year's IPL.

But, let's get back to his bowling, for we know Narine as a ball-yielding magician.

While his impact on the game might seem to have gone down a few notches since his remodeled bowling action, it hardly showed in his numbers in 2017. In the IPL alone, he gathered 227 runs at a brow-raising strike-rate of 173, while picking up 10 wickets in 16 games. Rumours are rife that he is, till now, the only player KKR want to retain next year.

Playing T20 leagues around the world seems to be more than enough for Narine, who played as many as 64 T20 matches this year. With 702 runs and 63 wickets from them, he remains one of the most sought-after players in the shortest format.