Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu has lavished praise on Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) mainstay Sunil Narine after his economical spell against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the high-scoring clash at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on May 16. Rayudu went on to call him the ‘best IPL player of all-time’.
"Proper match-winner with the ball, [and] with the bat," Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show "There have been such great players in the IPL, but this guy always stands out. He's on the top of the list for me."
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Narine, in his 200th IPL game, won the ‘Player of the match’. He claimed the wickets of GT skipper Shubman Gill and Nishant Sindhu. In his quota of four overs, he conceded 29 runs. KKR ended up winning the match by 29 runs, remaining alive in the playoffs race.
Narine is the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing season. Rayudu explained why GT’s Rashid Khan struggled, conceding 57 runs from four overs whereas Narine made life tough for GT batters.
"I think Rashid Khan has a unique problem, especially on pitches like that, because everything is a topspinner," Rayudu said.
"When that kind of a ball falls on the surface, it tends to come on quickly to the bat. But with Sunil Narine, everything he bowls tends to just hold in the surface. That's something that always happens. His ball never skids onto the bat.
"So I just feel, as a batsman, it's always tough to line up someone like a Sunil Narine, because the ball tends to hold. You tend to lose your shape more often than not."
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In the ongoing edition, Narine has 13 wickets from 11 games at an average of 22.15. His economy rate is 6.69 runs per over, better than any bowler with five or more wickets this season.
Narine in a league of his own
Narine is the only overseas bowler to take more than 200 wickets. He is third on the list of leading wicket-takers in the tournament. From 200 games, he has claimed 205 wickets at an average of 25.41, featuring one fifer and seven fours. His IPL career economy rate is 6.79 runs per over. He also holds the record for most IPL wickets for a single franchise. The only current bowler who comes close is Mumbai Indians' (MI) Jasprit Bumrah with 186 wickets from 157 games.