Kuldeep Yadav drew a comparison between a past IPL teammate and Mumbai Indians bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
New Delhi: Sunil Narine, a Trinidadian cricketer, has been an indispensable member of the Kolkata Knight Riders since 2012. He’s a significant contributor both as a highly successful spinner, ranking sixth all-time in IPL wickets with 181, including several impressive multi-wicket hauls, and as a powerful opening batsman.
He played a key role in KKR’s IPL championship victories in 2012, 2014, and 2024.
Indian cricketer Kuldeep Yadav praised Sunil Narine’s impact on JioHotstar, comparing his influence to that of Jasprit Bumrah.
“The IPL is very tough for bowlers—it’s highly competitive. You may pick up wickets, but you can’t always expect to maintain an economy of just 6 or 7 runs per over. It’s a challenging format with high-quality players. As a bowler, you must aim to dominate,” he said.
“Players like Jasprit Bumrah and Sunil Narine have done that consistently. I learned a lot from Sunil Narine when I was with KKR—he was ahead of his time. He always emphasised the importance of bowling length. Back then, I believed I could rely solely on my skills, but now I realise he was absolutely right. Since returning from injury, I’ve focused a lot on my length, and that has made a significant difference,” he added.
Sunil Narine, previously absent from Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) match against Rajasthan Royals due to illness, has returned to training. He’s expected to rejoin the team’s starting lineup for their upcoming game against Mumbai Indians. Narine participated fully in Sunday’s squad training, including a football game and net bowling sessions with Varun Chakravarthy. KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit confirmed Narine’s fitness and return to training.
Moeen Ali replaced Sunil Narine in the match against RR. Ali later commented on the substitution, “ got told this morning that Sunny [Narine] was not well and to just be ready whenever. Obviously, hard to replace Sunny but I felt like I did a nice job of it.”
