Sunil Narine is a superstar in the T20 format across the world. He is among the best spinners in the world and comes with a number of bags of tricks in his arsenal. Narine made his mark with some extraordinary performances in his debut season for the Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR won their maiden IPL in 2012, and Narine was the prime reason behind it.
He took a total of 24 wickets in 15 games at a brilliant economy rate of 5/47, with a best of 5/19. Narine also repeated his performance in 2014, when KKR won their second title. He took 22 wickets in 16 games at an economy rate of 6.35. It will not be a wrong statement to say that Narine is a legend in the IPL. He has also made a number of records in this list, which we will discuss below.
Records Held by Sunil Narine in IPL
1. Most four-wicket hauls
Sunil Narine is one of the best components of the cricket ball when it comes to T20 cricket. He has proved himself a number of times. Among the many big names who have played and are playing in the IPL, Narine has registered the most four-wicket hauls in the tournament. He has taken four or more wickets a total of eight times with a best of 5/19. Narine has taken 152 wickets in 148 games at an economy rate of 6.63.
2. Most Dot balls as a Spinners
Bowling a dot ball in a T20 game is as precious as taking wickets because dot balls create pressure on the batters, which leads them to lose their wicket. And for a spinner to bowl the dot balls, it’s not that easy because every batter looks to target them. But Narine has proved this wrong and has bowled the most dot balls as a spinner in the league. In 148 games, he has bowled 576 overs and 1391 dot balls, which is the most by a spinner. It is also the second-most after Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1406).
3.Joint second-fastest half-century
Narine’s prime skill is bowling, and he has done wonders with it over the seasons for KKR. But everyone is also aware of the hitting ability that he brings to the table with his batting. Narine is a good hitter of the ball who can smash any bowler on his day. The prime example was when he smashed the joint-second fastest half-century in the IPL off 15 balls against RCB in 2017.
4. Best Bowling Figure against PBKS
With his consistent performance, Narine has become a key member of the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has taken seven four-wicket hauls and one fifer. His fifer came against the Punjab Kings in the 2012 season when he took 5/19. With this performance, he registered the joint-best bowling figure against the Punjab Kings.
5. Most Wickets by an Overseas Spinner
Not just bowling figures, economy, and dot balls, Narine is also climbing up the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in the Indian Premier League. In fact, he is the highest wicket-taker among overseas spinners in this league. Narine has taken 152 wickets in 148 games at an economy rate of 6.63. Overall, he is ranked eighth.