Rayudu: Narine the best IPL player of all time

KOLKATA, India (CMC):

 Former Indian cricketer-turned-cricket commentator Ambati Rayudu has described Sunil Narine as the greatest Indian Premier League (IPL) player of all time after his bowling heroics propelled the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a 29-run win over the Gujarat Titans here on Saturday.

The 37-year-old Trinidadian, playing in his 200th IPL match, was named Player of the Match after his 2-29 from four overs helped to restrict the red-hot Titans – winners of five straight – to 218 for four in pursuit of 248 for victory at Eden Gardens.

Following his performance, Rayudu, who played 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India, said while there had been several standout players in the IPL, Narine was the greatest of all time.

“Proper match-winner with the ball, [and] with the bat. 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,” Rayudu said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show.

While his fellow commentator Sanjay Banjar did not agree that Narine was the best-ever player in the IPL, he admitted that he was “top five” and called him a “legend”.

“Some great names have plied their trade in this league, but yes, longevity is a factor.

“He has had to also overcome a lot of other problems in terms of how his action was questioned on many occasions, but he seems to have found another way of delivering with the same overspin that you generally associate with his skill set, [while] retaining the ability to get the ball turning both ways, and that puts massive doubts in the batter’s mind,” Banjar said.

“I think some of those qualities make him a legend of the league.”

Narine is behind only Yuzvendra Chahal (230 wickets) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (220 wickets) on the list of highest wicket-takers in the IPL, with 205 wickets.

He is also the most-capped overseas player in the IPL, a one-team man who has played every season with KKR since 2012, which was the first time KKR won the IPL, and he took 24 wickets at an economy rate of 5.47.

When KKR won the title again in 2014, Narine was again at the forefront, with 21 wickets at 6.35. A decade on, in 2024, when KKR won the title for the third time, Narine picked up 17 wickets at 6.69. This season, he is going at 6.79.

Not once in all these seasons has Narine’s economy rate crossed the eight-an-over mark.