It’s been 15 years, and guess what? KKR’s best chance of winning still comes wrapped in a West Indian mystery named Sunil Narine.
On Tuesday night, the man rolled back the years and dismantled Delhi Capitals’ batting—both technically and psychologically.
DC were cruising. Axar Patel and Faf du Plessis were well set. Even captain Ajinkya Rahane had walked off injured, and things looked grim for Kolkata. But then... Narine happened. Stepping in as the stand-in skipper, he flipped the match on its head like a last-minute twist in a thriller.
Next 7 balls? 3 wickets. Axar, Faf, and Stubbs—all back in the pavilion. The crowd was stunned. DC’s dugout frozen. KKR? Already celebrating. He finished with figures of 3 for 29 in his 4 overs—classic Narine magic.
That spell also marked his 208th wicket for KKR, tying him for the most wickets ever taken for a single team in T20 history. He now stands shoulder to shoulder with Samit Patel, who has the same tally for Nottinghamshire. Among IPL bowlers, only Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah (both with Mumbai Indians) feature in the top six on that elite list.
But Narine wasn’t done yet. Earlier in the game, he ran out KL Rahul with a rocket throw and pulled off a clutch catch to dismiss Ashutosh Sharma. And just to complete the all-round masterclass, he smashed a quickfire 27 off 16 balls at the top of the order to give KKR a flying start.
Bowling? Check. Captaincy? Check. Fielding? Double check. Batting? Absolutely. When KKR needs a hero, Narine always shows up. He always has. He always will.
Let’s just say it loud and proud—Kolkata’s biggest match-winner is back. The GOAT is home.
What happened in the match?
Batting first, KKR finished at a healthy 204/9, thanks to a collective effort by the batters. Chasing which, DC raced to 136/3 in 13.1 overs. But then the game turned on its head, Narine the chief destroyer. The hosts lost next 5 wickets for just 24 runs and could never recover from there. While KKR tasted first win in last 4 outings (one game ended in no result), Delhi was handed its 3rd defeat in last 4 games.
