RR braces for Narine spin threat as KKR eyes top spot
His 1/19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad or 1/17 against Lucknow Super Giants may have failed to grab attention but those eight overs where he did not concede a single boundary made all the difference in the end for KKR.
KOLKATA: Rajasthan Royals’ star-studded batting will face the serious challenge of decoding Sunil Narine’s mystery at Eden Gardens when it takes on two-time champion Kolkata Knight Riders in a top-of-the-table IPL clash here on Tuesday.
Narine, who is one month shy of turning 36, had played a pivotal role in KKR’s twin triumphs under former skipper Gautam Gambhir in 2012 and 2014. Ever since joining the side way back in 2012, Narine has sizzled at Eden Gardens with his crafty bowling, proving to a big threat to opposition batters.
Now after reuniting with Gambhir, who returned to the team as its mentor, Narine dished out an all-round show, reigniting its title hopes again and a win against RR will hand them the pole position in the 10-team standings ahead of the halfway stage of the season.
His 1/19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad or 1/17 against Lucknow Super Giants may have failed to grab attention but those eight overs where he did not concede a single boundary made all the difference in the end for KKR.
Phil Salt may have walked away with the player-of-the-match award in its solid eight-wicket win over LSG here on Sunday, but it was Narine, who choked LSG in the middle overs to limit it to a below-par 161 for 7.
Come Tuesday, the likes of Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer -- who all have struck at the rate of more than 155 this season -- will be up against the Narine challenge.
It remains to be seen if Jos Buttler is fit to be included in the playing XI after missing its last fixture against Punjab Kings. With his ability to express himself at the top, Narine, who has a strike-rate of 183.51 and averages 33-plus this season, has a Rashid Khan-like aura at KKR.
Its IPL record buy Mitchell Starc has also shut all the noise to return to his elements, claiming two wickets in the last over for his 3/28 against LSG.
In such a scenario, the top-of-the-table contest may well boil down to KKR’s bowling versus RR’s batting.
KKR’s only weak-link could be its skipper Shreyas Iyer’s poor form with the bat.
Even though he remained unbeaten on a run-a-ball 38 in its 162-run chase against LSG, Shreyas looked tentative both against the pacers and spinners and KKR’s batting may well get exposed if RR manages to give early breakthroughs.
