Sunil Narine and Andre Russell have won enough games for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to be among their four foreign players against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening match of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“In big moments of the game, particularly last year, you would throw Sunil the ball or you would get him in with the bat because he has been in that situation over and over again; he believes in himself and in the team to go and get through and win that situation,” KKR skipper Eoin Morgan was quoted as saying in www.kkr.in, the team’s website. The same could be said of Russell. Both have won the IPL with KKR and been the competition’s Player of the Series. Both could be crucial if KKR end a six-season wait for their third title.
But their numbers from last term don’t make for good reading. Both played 10 games, faced nearly similar number of deliveries (Narine 85, Russell 81) and struggled to make an impact with the bat. Narine faltered as a pinch-hitting opener before springing a middle-order surprise against Delhi Capitals with a 32-ball 64 (4×6; 6×4). “I back myself to play spin,” he deadpanned after scoring half of his runs off Ravichandran Ashwin that night.
“It’s been a while and I am happy to be performing with the bat as well. It gives me confidence and hopefully I can carry the momentum,” Narine told the official broadcasters during the innings break last October. It didn’t happen.
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Having been called for the sixth time in his career since the 2014 Champions League, Narine’s bowling is a pale shadow of what it was. The bowler who took 24 wickets in 2012, 22 in 2013 and 21 in 2014, finished with five in 2020. This was the first time since 2015 that Narine didn’t get to double-figures. He has six four-wicket hauls in IPL but none since 2015. For the past two seasons, he hasn’t even taken three wickets in a game. He has missed the 2015 and 2019 50-over World Cups and the 2016 World T20. Narine’s economy rate of 6.77 is still the sixth best in IPL but it is more due to his numbers in 2012, 2013 and 2014 (5.47, 5.46 and 6.35 respectively) than what they have been in the past three seasons—7.94 (2020), 7.82 (2019) and 7.65 (2016).
But that he has come back everytime his bowling action was called speaks of incredible mental resolve. Last season, he stymied Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by choking the runs at the back-end. “Today, with Narine holding overs back, it made it very difficult…,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming had said after the game. “Jeez, the job he did at the back-end,” said KKR’s bowling coach Kyle Mills.
Yet it is not without reason that KKR have bought Shakib Al Hasan. If the law of diminishing returns continues to afflict Narine, the former Bangladesh skipper will be more than a handy replacement. “Given that we have a bit more travel this year and we go from venue to venue, it’s important to have strength and depth in the squad. Shakib Al Hasan gives us a different dynamic in the team. Given that we play at different venues where the conditions change quite a lot, you have a spin bowling all-rounder who had success in international cricket and IPL at different stages. If called upon, he can definitely deliver,” said Morgan.
Russell struggled with bat, ball and injury last season. His highest score was 25 and strike rate 144.44, way below his tournament strike rate of 182.33. Not returns you would expect from the man who is still the boss of the slog overs. It was far removed from the impact Russell had with the bat in 2019 when he scored 510 runs and hit 31 fours and 52 sixes. Russell’s tally of 117 runs in 2020 was his worst since 2016 when he aggregated 188. Russell took six wickets, making 2020 his least successful IPL since 2015, the year he also won the Player-of-the-Series award, with bat and ball.
Russell and Narine will be 33 before this IPL ends. While that is not an age players think of ending IPL careers, another ordinary season may force KKR to do something they never have—look beyond the two West Indians.
