Sunil Narine Century ( Photo source : X / Twitter )
Kolkata Knight Riders went on to bag the third title in IPL history after getting the better of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the summit clash in Chennai. Though several players were instrumental in KKR’s journey till the victory, West Indies’ star Sunil Narine stood out with his all-round show.
In several matches, Narine provided solid starts to his side right at the top, which pushed them to fare well and further backed his innings with a stunning bowling show. Due to his exploits, Narine ended the IPL 2024 season as the ‘most valuable player’. Talking of the same, former English cricketer Kevin Pietersen spoke in all praise of the all-rounder, calling him a complete superstar.
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports Cricket Live, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen shared his thoughts on Sunil Narine’s performance this season, “It is amazing, it really is amazing what he did, because I was one of the most vocal critics at the start of the tournament, saying I didn’t like Sunil Narine at the top of the order due to his inconsistency. He typically would hit a six and then get out, disrupting the momentum. However, this season, especially over the last couple of months, he has been consistent. He’s thought like a batter, batted like a batter, and got the runs of a batter.
He has averaged more than many batters and his strike rate has been phenomenal. He’s played both sides of the wicket exceptionally well. And, of course, we don’t need to say much about his bowling—he is an out-and-out superstar. His ability to change his actions and still produce such impressive numbers is quite something. He is the heart and soul of this outfit, isn’t he?”
Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden shared his thoughts on Sunil Narine’s performance this season, “All I heard from Kevin Pietersen in summary was, I was wrong about Sunil Narine. I mean, that’s what we’re designed to do as former players. We have to call it as we see it. It’s as simple as that, but what you’ll see about Kevin and all of us, is that when we’re wrong, we love to see players prove themselves right. Absolutely. And that’s exactly what Sunil Narine’s done this IPL. He’s been amazing. As KP said, he has played as a genuine batter. He’s thought like a batter, and even in the short time tonight, when you think about it, he got chased a bit early by Pat Cummins and put him out of the stand. But even one six tonight shows that intent, that he’s still there and he’s still the best player.”
Hayden talked about Mitchell Starc’s performance in the final against SRH. He said, “The moment that ball bowled to Abhishek Sharma came out of Mitchell Starc’s hands, it was game over. It was destined to be the best ball of the IPL—an absolute peach at a time when it was so important. We all talked about how crucial the power play would be for winning this IPL final and this tournament. And after that ball from Mitchell Starc, it just meant that KKR were on a roll.”
Pietersen talked about Mitchell Starc’s performance in the final as well as in the last two weeks of the tournament. He said, “There are two schools of thought. You come to a ground, think about runs on the board, and aim for 180–200 runs. Then there is another school of thought that focuses on the 11 of us taking on those two in-form players. Because you can’t really lose the game when you are out there as a collective fielding unit. And you saw that with KKR. Mitchell Starc was averaging around 136-137 kmph during the majority of the season. But in the last two weeks, he has gone above 140 kmph, and that is his average. He is bowling fast. We never saw him swing the ball for the first seven, maybe even eight, weeks of this tournament. In the last few weeks, he has got his wrist in a good place and started to swing the ball back”
Former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu talked about Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy for KKR in the tournament. He said, “Shreyas Iyer has been tremendous in terms of leading KKR, and we should give him a lot of credit. He was not in the best of forms with the bat, but still, the way he has led the team, and the way he has used his resources, is commendable. It is a great credit to all the young Indians who have played in the KKR team, who really stood up with stalwarts like Narine, Russell, and Starc, and also contributed their share to the team’s win. That is exactly how teams win the IPL, and we have seen this over the years. It is not the orange cap that wins you the IPL, But it is the contributions from 4 batters or 5 batters, These 300 runs each Or 400 runs each.
That is what gets you to the finals. And that is where you need that clarity of thought. And the composure to play in the finals. Great credit to their support staff, Gautam Gambhir, Abhishek Nayar, and even Bharat Arun. You know, all these Indian coaches whom we seem to neglect sometimes and the kind of role that they have played in this IPL, especially using the resources. They had the same team for the previous three seasons, and this is the season where they really got them together, in terms of confidence, clarity, and freedom to really express themselves and play. So great credit to Gautam Gambhir, Shreyas Iyer, and all the support staff, as well as all the players who have supported them. I think it is a great moment.”