VISAKHAPATNAM–West Indies off-spinner Sunil Narine continued to struggle in the new Indian Premier League campaign as Kolkata Knight Riders plunged to a 16-run defeat to Hyderbad Sunrisers yesterday.
Playing at the ACA-VDCA Stadium, Hyderabad piled up 176 for four off their 20 overs, with David Warner slamming 91 from 55 balls and Shikhar Dhawan, 54 from 46 deliveries, in an opening stand worth 130. The left-handed Warner counted nine fours and four sixes while Dhawan hit four fours and a six before being third to fall off the bowling off West Indies pacer Andre Russell, who took one for six from his lone over.
Not for the first time this season, Narine went wicket-less in four overs that cost 38 runs, and has taken just two wickets in five outings, at an average of 73 and an economy rate of seven.
Narine grabbed 21 wickets in 16 matches last season at an average of 19, as KKR won their second IPL title.
However, just months later he was twice called for a suspected illegal action while bowling in the Champions League Twenty20 and suspended for the final.
Though he was subsequently cleared by the ICC after undergoing rehabilitation, he was mandated by the Indian Cricket Board to undergo their own tests earlier this month, before he could be cleared for the IPL.
Russell, promoted to number four in the order, hammered 19 from 10 balls with two sixes and a four, before holing out to long on off Ravi Bopara in the ninth over.
In the second match, T&T's Dwayne Bravo claimed 1-25 and Dwayne Smith scored 39 to help Chennai Super Kings ease to a 27-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, who dropped Chris Gayle for the match. Suresh Raina's 32-ball 62 set Super Kings on course to 181 for 8, before Ashish Nehra's four wickets for 10 runs sent Royal Challengers's chase into the Chinnaswamy Stadium dirt.
Not even a half-century from Virat Kohli (51) could lift his team off the bottom of the table, falling 154-8. CMC