IPL 2024

“If Narine is available, he walks straight into T20 WC team” – Former WI pacer Ian Bishop believes

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Spinner Sunil Narine announced his international retirement in November 2023. Still, the off-break spinner’s recent performances have raised speculations regarding his place in the upcoming T20 World Cup, slated to begin in June in the USA and the West Indies.

West Indies T20 skipper Rovman Powell recently revealed that he has been trying to convince Narine to change his decision.

Former West Indies icon Bishop gave his take on Narine’s inclusion and said that the KKR star has nothing to prove and, according to him, he straightaway walks into the team.

“I don’t know where Narine stands over the course of the last few years. We have never understood whether it is Narine’s decision that he doesn’t want to play for the West Indies or if there is another factor that the selectors haven’t picked him. But I can say is that once he is comfortable, the way that he has bowled only, isolating his bowling, he can be an asset once he stands up to scrutiny for the West Indies team,” Bishop said on ESPNcricinfo’s Timed Out show.

“His batting has pleasingly surprised me with his consistency so far this IPL season, that is a bonus. Straightaway, if he is available and he is selected, he walks straight into the team. He has nothing to prove, he has proven himself in the past 15 years or a decade. If Narine is available, I think that he can only benefit the team,” Bishop added.

His sensational form saw him score 109 off 56 deliveries, which was laced with 13 boundaries and six maximums against the Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League at Eden Gardens. With the ball, he has scalped seven in six matches at an economy of 6.88.

With the bat, Narine has struck 276 runs in six matches at an average of 46.00 and a sensational strike rate of 187.76.

He will return to action for KKR against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Sunday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

“Gautam Gambhir gave me confidence and assurance” – Sunil Narine After 109 Runs Knock Against Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2024

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Sunil Narine backed Gautam Gambhir for his 109 runs knock against Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024 match 31 at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Tuesday. With Narine’s century, hosts KKR managed to score 223 runs in 20 overs.

The credit for Narine’s newfound confidence as an opener goes to none other than Gautam Gambhir, KKR’s mentor. Gambhir’s return to the team saw Narine being promoted up the order, a move that has paid off handsomely for the team.

Reflecting on his remarkable performance, Narine expressed gratitude towards Gambhir, emphasizing how the mentor instilled the belief in him to excel in this role.

“I think it would have been a joke because I hadn’t opened the batting for a few years. I had in the past but didn’t believe. With GG coming back, he gave me the confidence and assurance that I will do good. I had to give the team a good start. The job is to give a good start, whatever the situation is. We have an understanding of the pitch. It won’t be easy. We have to make use of the powerplay. Try to pick wickets and restrict them to a low total as possible,” said Narine.

Narine’s stellar inning has not only propelled him into the limelight but also earned him a respectable position in the Orange Cap standings, currently third behind Virat Kohli and Riyan Parag. Despite his outstanding form, Narine remains grounded, acknowledging the challenges ahead.

Narine commented when asked about the upcoming T20 World Cup, hinting at the uncertainty surrounding his international career, and said that he would be at home watching the T20 World Cup.

He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game: Shreyas Iyer

After the game, KKR captain Shreyas Iyer admitted that the game was tough to swallow, describing the emotions as a roller coaster.

He acknowledged Sunil Narine’s stellar performance, considering him a valuable asset to the team. Iyer reflected on the challenges of bowling to Narine in high-pressure situations and emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes and bouncing back. Despite the defeat, he expressed pride in his team’s performance.

“(Was this game a bitter pill to swallow?) I would second that actually, emotions were a roller coaster, certainly didn’t think we will get into this situation. It’s a funny game at the end of the day, he was striking the ball cleanly and timing them so well, have to take it on the chin and move on. I mean at this point of time you see that you bowl your best deliveries, a little bit hit or miss and you are sent out of the ground, it’s good that it happened now rather than it happening in the later stages of the tournament, good learning for us.

“(On Sunil Narine) He is a great asset to the team and he is showing it every game, he is that kind of player who capitalizes on each and every moment. I’m glad that he is a part of our team. Since he was striking it so well, I thought let’s take pace off the ball and gave it to Chakaravarthy and it’s high pressure when you have five fielders inside the circle, you basically don’t have idea where to bowl. It’s just about relaxing and rejuvenating, it was very humid as well today. It’s important to learn from our mistakes and bounce back. We have a few days break. At the end of the day, it was a great game, a few overs here and there but I’m really proud of the boys,” Iyer said.

KKR vs RR, IPL 2024: Sunil Narine slams maiden T20 ton, becomes first cricketer in IPL history to achieve massive milestone

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35-year-old veteran Sunil Narine continued his Midas touch in the Indian Premier League 2024 as he slammed his maiden T20 ton in the clash against Rajasthan Royals. The West Indies star smashed a brilliant ton in 49 balls as he powered the Knight Riders’ in the home clash at the Eden Gardens.

Opening the batting for KKR, Narine took a little time to find the middle of the bat but when he did find the sweet spot, Narine was creaming the shots all over the ground. Narine has become the first player in the history of IPL to score a hundred and have 100 wickets in the cash-rich league.

Narine has played 168 matches in IPL and 503 in T20s overall but to his hundred this time. The knock was laced with 12 fours and 6 sixes and he got another boundary before getting dismissed on 109 from 56 balls.

Narine’s battle with Ravichandran Ashwin was a treat to watch out for. It seemed a cat-and-mouse contest with Ashwin trying to bowl wide deliveries in an attempt to see off the batter. He tonked the off-spinner for several boundaries. Narine has also become the third KKR player to hit a hundred in IPL. He joins the elite list of Brendon McCullum and Venkatesh Iyer as the only KKR players to hit a hundred.

Narine’s stay came to an end when Trent Boult nailed one yorker and got the prized wicket in the 18th over. However, Narine’s ton powered KKR to a handsome total of 223/6. Rinku Singh provided the finishing touches with a 9-ball 20-run knock as the Knight Riders posted a strong total.

Here are 3 reasons why Shimron Hetmyer is the best finisher in T20 cricket at present – Explains!

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Shimron Hetmyer has been a great addition to Guyana Amazon Worries and has been the man in form. He has been in terrific form this YEAR IPL and CPL and once again showed how to maintain one’s temperament and finish off games. Shimron Hetmyer said his role as a finisher in Rajasthan Royals was ‘a blessing and a curse’ after leading his side to a win against PBKS.

Shimron Hetmyer was named Player of the Match after batting just 10 balls in a 148-run chase. That tells you two things – A) He must have done something outrageous in those 10 balls in a chase where the required rate was less than 7.5 runs an over. B) The Rajasthan Royals batters may have got their calculations horribly wrong to require a desperate cameo at the backend of the match. Both are correct.

Hetmyer saved the blushes for Rajasthan Royals with a last-ball six off Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh to seal a three-wicket victory in Mullanpur. They didn’t require a six. Two runs were needed off as many balls but it felt like a boundary was necessary for the Royals to win. And Hetmyer delivered.

Hetmyer came in at No.6 when the Royals had just lost set batter Riyan Parag for 23 off 18. They still needed 35 off 20 balls. Dhruv Jurel was struggling to hit boundaries at the other end. His nightmarish 11-ball 6-run knock came to an end in the next over. Now it was up to Hetmyer to do something special.

The left-hander hit a four and a six in the same over to bring RR right back in the chase. In the next over, Rovman Powell played his part by hitting back-to-back boundaries off PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran but was dismissed trying to hit another off the third. Curran got another wicket to end the over.

RR now needed 10 off the last over of Arshdeep. The PBKS death overs specialist started off two excellent deliveries that resulted in dot balls. Pressure was mounting on Hetmyer. He needed a big hit.

Arshdeep missed the yorker by a whisker and Hetmyer latched on to it. He hit a flat six straight over the bowler’s head. The next ball resulted in a couple of runs. Needing two runs off two balls, Hetmyer got a full toss from Arshdeep and he flicked it over the long leg boundary for his third six to bring a sigh of relief in the RR camp.

He remained unbeaten on 27 off 10 balls.

“It is just practice really, I try as much as possible to bat properly in the nets first. Then I go back after everyone has finished to try and hit sixes,” Hetmyer said when he asked about the secret behind his finishing skills.

Over the years, Hetmyer has developed a reputation as a finisher, which the hard-hitting batter from West Indies said was a blessing and a curse.

“It is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Happy I could help my team win tonight,” he said. (On if thoughts of failure ever come in) They creep in, but afterwards, I just try to keep it as clear as possible. After the first few balls, he (Boult) came up to me and calmed me down.”

With Trent Boult at the other end, Hetmyer said, he would not have hesitated in taking a single off the penultimate ball which would have ensured at least a super over.

“I would have taken it (the single in the final over). I spoke to Boulty and even if I don’t get the other one, I will try my best to get the single and at least tie it. I was just trying to get a single or a double and then I got the full toss, and tried to hit it for six.” he added.

We take a look at three reasons why Shimron Hetmyer is currently the best finisher in T20 cricket:

3. A complete batter

Unlike the likes of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer is a more complete batter. He started his career for the West Indies in the top order and scored consistent runs. He has a more rounded game and is adept at handling pressure scenarios. There are no seemingly glaring glitches in his batting and these traits come to the fore when he gauges conditions during the final few overs.

The fact that he can pick and choose his moments and bowlers to attack and execute his plans without any fuss makes him one of the best finishers in the shortest format in the world currently.

2. Wide range of strokes

Shimron Hetmyer loves the wild slog over deep mid-wicket. He also loves the slap down the ground, but then, he is also equally adept at accessing the off side as he generally stays towards the leg side of the ball.

These wide strokes make him an all-round package – a batter that is not a one-trick pony and hence, bowlers generally find it difficult bowling to him.

1. Solid temperament

Shimron Hetmyer is an excitable character – he seems to live every moment when out in the field. However, there is a sense of calm when he is trying to close out the innings. There is a lot of belief, and he follows his process. He picks his bowlers and commits to the cause. After his superb knock against the JT, he revealed how he practices to excel in these tight situations.

Sunil Narine Confirms He Won’t Return to West Indies Team for T20 WC – “I will be watching it from my home”

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Kolkata Knight Riders’ all-rounder Sunil Narine continues having an excellent Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, as in his latest endeavor – against Lucknow Super Giants on Sunday (14 April) – he recorded spending bowling figures of 4-0-17-1.

Despite his sublime form, however, Narine has confirmed he will not be featuring for the West Indies team at the T20 World Cup later this year.

Notably, Narine is among the major reasons behind the Knight Riders’ resurgence in IPL 2024. Not only has he scalped five wickets at a miser economy rate of 6.75 runs per over, but he also has been effective with the bat as an opener, having scored 167 runs at an average of 33.40 and a strike rate of 183.51.

But having announced his international retirement in November 2023, the Trinidadian cricketer has confirmed he has no plans of returning in the maroon of West Indies. On being asked about his plans for the T20 World Cup by Samuel Badree, Narine replied “I will be watching it from my home.”

Narine, who has represented West Indies on 122 occasions – six Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is – has not played international cricket since 2019. In the last five years, he has also featured in franchise tournaments.

Kolkata Knight Riders have had an excellent start to the season, winning five of their first six matches. Speaking on his team’s performance, Narine said “We have won two out of two (matches at home). The boys are keen and everyone is enjoying it. Once you enjoy, you will have fun.”

While Narine could not contribute with the bat in the Knight Riders’ eight-wicket win over the Super Giants, Phil Salt was the star of the show, scoring a 47-ball 89.

Speaking on the Englishman’s batting, Narine stated “He has played well in every game. He has shown some fine form and hopefully he’ll keep going and get some big runs.”

“There were great expectations from Shamar Joseph but he got hit a lot” – Aakash Chopra on LSG’s IPL 2024 loss to KKR

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Aakash Chopra has noted that Shamar Joseph didn’t live up to expectations in the Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) IPL 2024 loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

LSG set KKR a 162-run target at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, April 14. Joseph went wicketless and conceded 47 runs in his four overs as the home team registered an emphatic eight-wicket win with 26 balls to spare.

“Second innings – is there a possibility of making a comeback somehow? However, the first over itself. Phil Salt was dropped and it was given a no-ball. 22 runs in one over – Shamar Joseph. Only two people have broken Gabba’s pride – Rishabh Pant and Shamar Joseph. There were great expectations from Shamar Joseph but he got hit a lot,” he observed (12:10).

“Mohsin Khan dismissed Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi. So Mohsin Khan was very impressive. However, Phit Salt’s assault from the other end. He batted destructively. He was slightly lucky for sure. He could have been caught in the deep off Shamar’s bowling but Arshad Khan dropped the catch,” Chopra elaborated.

“Salt remained not out till the end and the match got over very early. Shreyas Iyer – for the simple reason that he captained first and rotated his bowlers well, and then even though he might have scored at a run-a-ball, scoring runs is necessary and he did that job so that there were no hiccups,” he said.

“Him bowling fast was a positive…”: LSG skipper KL Rahul backs debutant Shamar after KKR loss

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Following his side’s eight-wicket loss to KKR in their Indian Premier League match, Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul backed debutant West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph, saying that the bowler bowling fast in good areas was a positive, but anyone could get overwhelmed by the excitement of making his first appearance in the cash-rich league.

However, Shamar’s debut was underwhelming. After making headlines with a seven-wicket haul in a winning effort against Australia at the Gabba, the West Indies pacer struggled with consistency and gave away a good amount of runs through wides and no balls. He ended with figures of 47/0, out of which 22 runs came in the first over itself, which included many extras.

Backing the young Caribbean pacer, KL said during the post-match presentation, “That was a positive, he was bowling very quick. It was his first game of the IPL, you can get excited, and Shamar was very excited and just wanted to bowl fast, sprayed the ball around a bit but that can happen with anyone. The positive was he was bowling very quick and he got the ball to nip around. He hit some good areas but obviously, he has to work on his consistency and the choice of balls he bowls.”

The skipper termed his team’s loss as a “proper hammering” and talking about the reasons behind the defeat, he elaborated,

“Every team in the IPL goes through a game like that. Not going to sit too much and think about it. Will go back, work out where we went wrong and bounce back better. I think it was the other way around. The ball started nipping around a lot more after the lights came on. I cannot say we played bad shots but the shots we played, we did not execute well. We kept losing wickets in bunches and we left about 30 runs out there. If we kept wickets in our hand, and had one of our top three-four batted for more overs, we could have got a lot more runs. That is where I think we lost the game. With the ball, it was nipping around. We got a few wickets but leaked too many boundaries.”

Reflecting on team’s back-to-back losses to Delhi Capitals and KKR, KL said, “Not panicking but you cannot put your feet up and hope results go your way. We have to figure out where you are going wrong. We will have a few difficult conversations. The last couple of games, we have not been able to get more than 160 and that is something to think about, and see how we can get to the 180-200 run mark.”

Coming to the match, KKR opted to field first after winning the toss. Despite skipper KL Rahul’s 39 in 27 balls, with three fours and two sixes, Lucknow was 95/4 in 11.4 overs as he did not get much support from other batters. A calm, composed 29 in 27 balls, with two fours and a six by Ayush Badoni and fine finishing by Nicholas Pooran, who scored 45 in 32 balls, with two fours and four sixes, guided LSG to 161/7 in 20 overs.

Mitchell Starc came good for KKR and was the pick of the bowlers. Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy and the West Indies pair of Sunil Narine and Andre Russell got a wicket each.

In the run-chase, KKR lost Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi early. But Phil Salt launched an all-out assault on LSG bowlers, scoring 89* in 47 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes. His 120-run partnership with skipper Shreyas Iyer helped KKR chase down the total with eight wickets and 26 balls in hand. Salt took home the ‘Player of the Match’ award.

KKR is in the second spot, with four wins and a loss in five matches. It gives them a total of eight points. LSG is in the fifth spot with three wins and three losses, giving them six points.

KKR vs LSG, IPL 2024: Shamar Joseph’s IPL Debut Turns into Nightmare; Matches 15-year-old Bizarre Record

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West Indies pace sensation Shamar Joseph was on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut as Lucknow Super Giants locked horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Saturday.

Handed a debut cap during the side’s match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata, Joseph’s debut match didn’t go as planned. Bowling his first over in the league – which was also the first in the innings – Joseph erred on four occasions, bowling two no balls and as many wides, and conceded 22 runs in total.

Interestingly, the first five deliveries of the over were legal. The opening ball of the match was a dot ball, as Shamar Joseph delivered a swinging delivery from a length around off stump to Philip Salt. The KKR opener attempted to defend but managed only to hit the ball off the splice to the left of backward point, resulting in no runs scored.

Joseph, then, bowled a back-of-a-length delivery at middle and leg stump, with Salt managing to take a single. Next up, Joseph delivered a short of length delivery outside off at 146kmph; Sunil Narine leaned back and fetched the ball from outside off, slapping it away through covers for a boundary.

In the fourth delivery, Joseph bowled a short ball aiming for a slog from Narine, who managed a thick top-edge that flew over short third man for a couple of runs. Narine, then, attempted a drive on the off-side but missed completely, leaving his stumps exposed. The ball evaded the bat and also the wicketkeeper, with KL Rahul diving to his right but unable to prevent the batters from taking a bye.

That is when the drama began.

Shamar Joseph bowled a front foot no ball, delivering a quick ball down the leg side to Philip Salt. The opener attempted a pull shot, resulting in a thick inside edge that went to the right of short fine leg. Yash Thakur made a diving attempt to catch it, but he couldn’t hold on to the ball.

Joseph, then, bowled a wide, and followed it up with a five-wide; Salt attempted a slog but missed, and the ball ran away to the left of the diving wicketkeeper for five wides.

Joseph wandered off his line again, bowling wide down the leg side, but just as the umpire signalled for a wide, the no-ball alarm rang again. Salt, then, took the full use of the free hit as he smashed the final delivery from Joseph down the ground, clearing the long-off boundary for a six.

And thus ended one of the longest overs in IPL history, with 10 deliveries fetching 22 runs. Joseph finished with poor figures, too, conceding 47 runs in his four overs without a wicket, as Super Giants faced an 8-wicket defeat.

Kolkata Knight Riders remained second with an impressive win over the LSG on Sunday, firmly in pursuit for the top spot – currently held by Rajasthan Royals. Samson’s men have played six matches, as opposed to KKR’s five, and have 10 points on the table. The Knight Riders, meanwhile, are now on 8 points.

Shimron Hetmyer says “being a finisher is‘ both a blessing and a curse” – explains why

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The Punjab Kings – Rajasthan Royals rivalry continues to maintain its enthralling nature. Seven of their last eight matches have been decided in the last over. However, this time, it was a low-scoring match, unlike the high-scoring encounters between these two underwhelming sides.

Shimron Hetmyer said his role as a finisher in Rajasthan Royals was ‘a blessing and a curse’ after leading his side to a win against PBKS.

Shimron Hetmyer was named Player of the Match after batting just 10 balls in a 148-run chase. That tells you two things – A) He must have done something outrageous in those 10 balls in a chase where the required rate was less than 7.5 runs an over. B) The Rajasthan Royals batters may have got their calculations horribly wrong to require a desperate cameo at the backend of the match. Both are correct.

Hetmyer saved the blushes for Rajasthan Royals with a last-ball six off Punjab Kings pacer Arshdeep Singh to seal a three-wicket victory in Mullanpur. They didn’t require a six. Two runs were needed off as many balls but it felt like a boundary was necessary for the Royals to win. And Hetmyer delivered.

Hetmyer came in at No.6 when the Royals had just lost set batter Riyan Parag for 23 off 18. They still needed 35 off 20 balls. Dhruv Jurel was struggling to hit boundaries at the other end. His nightmarish 11-ball 6-run knock came to an end in the next over. Now it was up to Hetmyer to do something special.

The left-hander hit a four and a six in the same over to bring RR right back in the chase. In the next over, Rovman Powell played his part by hitting back-to-back boundaries off PBKS stand-in captain Sam Curran but was dismissed trying to hit another off the third. Curran got another wicket to end the over.

RR now needed 10 off the last over of Arshdeep. The PBKS death overs specialist started off two excellent deliveries that resulted in dot balls. Pressure was mounting on Hetmyer. He needed a big hit.

Arshdeep missed the yorker by a whisker and Hetmyer latched on to it. He hit a flat six straight over the bowler’s head. The next ball resulted in a couple of runs. Needing two runs off two balls, Hetmyer got a full toss from Arshdeep and he flicked it over the long leg boundary for his third six to bring a sigh of relief in the RR camp.

He remained unbeaten on 27 off 10 balls.

“It is just practice really, I try as much as possible to bat properly in the nets first. Then I go back after everyone has finished to try and hit sixes,” Hetmyer said when he asked about the secret behind his finishing skills.

Over the years, Hetmyer has developed a reputation as a finisher, which the hard-hitting batter from West Indies said was a blessing and a curse.

“It is a blessing and a curse. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. Happy I could help my team win tonight,” he said. (On if thoughts of failure ever come in) They creep in, but afterwards, I just try to keep it as clear as possible. After the first few balls, he (Boult) came up to me and calmed me down.”

With Trent Boult at the other end, Hetmyer said, he would not have hesitated in taking a single off the penultimate ball which would have ensured at least a super over.

“I would have taken it (the single in the final over). I spoke to Boulty and even if I don’t get the other one, I will try my best to get the single and at least tie it. I was just trying to get a single or a double and then I got the full toss, and tried to hit it for six.” he added.

With this win, RR became the first team in IPL 2024 to enter double digits in the points table.

Most runs in one over in IPL: Watch Mumbai Indians’ Romario Shepherd smashes 32 against Delhi Capitals

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Mumbai Indians batter Romario Shepherd went ballistic in the 20th over of the innings against Delhi Capitals, scoring 32 runs as Anrich Nortje was taken to the cleaners.

Nortje, entrusted with closing out the innings dished some looseners and the West Indian batter took full advantage of it. Shepherd smashed two fours and four maximums to power MI to 234 for five in the stipulated 20 overs.

The South African pacer has had a horrid time in the field ever since making a comeback after injury and Sunday (Apr 7) afternoon was no different. Nortje’s 2/65 was the most expensive spell of the 2024 season and the joint most expensive spell bowled by a Dehli bowler, equalling the unfortunate record set by Umesh Yadav in 2023.

Despite getting a fiery start to the innings, courtesy of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, MI lost their way in the middle overs as skipper Hardik Pandya played a laborious innings to kill the momentum. However, both Shepherd and Tim David in the last 12 deliveries managed to score 51 runs and guided MI to an above-par total.

Most runs scored by a team in the last 5 overs

112 – RCB vs GL, Bengaluru, 2016

96 – MI vs PBKS, Wankhede, 2023

96 – MI vs DC, Wankhede, 2024*

91 – KKR vs RCB, Eden Gardens, 2019