Skip batters meeting: Sunil Narine reveals secret to success as KKR opener in IPL 2024

Sunil Narine said keeping it simple and not worrying too much about his secondary role – the batting, has helped him find success at the top of the order for Kolkata in IPL 2024.

Narine’s joking comments came after Shreyas Iyer revealed on Wednesday that the West Indies mystery spinner gives the batters’ team meeting a skip. Narine’s revival as an opener in the new season has been one of the key to the Knight Riders’ early success in IPL 2024.

Sunil Narine won the Player of the Match award for the 14th time in the IPL, this time for his sensational big-hitting show at the top of the order that propelled KKR to 272, the second-highest total in the history of the tournament. Narine hit 7 sixes and as many boundaries for his 39-ball 85 as he registered the highest score of his IPL career. Narine sent the Delhi bowlers on a leather hunt as he looked more calm and composed with the bat than ever.

Narine tore into the pacers and even hit a bouncer from Ishant Sharma into the stands and took down Axar Patel, Delhi’s lone spinner who got only one over in Vizag on Wednesday. It was not just brute force, but Narine picked and chose his bowlers and timed his big hits to perfection.

“Cricket is all about batting so looking to contribute more as a batter. That said, I still enjoy by bowling,” Narine said when asked about his incredible second wind as opener of the Knight Riders.

“I have one role and the less I know the better it is for me,” Narine said when asked about not attending the batters’ meeting.

THE NARINE REVIVAL
Narine did not score even 100 across the season in any of the last three editions of the IPL as his batting skills were on the wane. However, Narine has been sensational at the top, repaying the faith shown in him by the franchise. The Gautam Gambhir effect was evident as KKR’s former captain, who has returned to the team as their mentor, had used the West Indies pinch-hitter as opener in the past.

“To be honest, he doesn’t sit in any of the team batters’ meetings. His role is pretty much clear,” captain Shreyas had said at the toss, explaining Narine’s role.

Narine has scored 134 runs in 3 matches in IPL 2024 at a strike rate of 204. He hit a match-winning 45 against RCB in Bengaluru when Kolkata chased down 182 in the 17th over last week.

Kolkata were brilliant with the ball too as the likes of Varun Chakravarthy and Vaibhav Arora picked 3 wickets each. Narine chipped in with a wicket in his miserly 4-over quota while Mitchell Starc, their big-money signing, finally found form with 2 wickets. Despite Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs’ fifties, Delhi were bundled out for 166 in 16.5 overs.

Kolkata stormed to the top of the IPL 2024 points table after winning their first three games in a season for the first time in history.