The Unsolved Enigma Behind KKR's resurgence

In the Indian summers of the year 2008,began the Indian T20 extravaganza,the IPL. It took no time to become a success in a country where Cricket is the equivalent of a religion.The auctions for the teams took place and the player draft was prepared.In the inaugural season,8 teams participated.One of them was Kolkata Knight Riders.

Brendon ‘Marauder’ McCullum’s blitzkrieg etched the inaugural match into the memory of the fans.KKR were off to a great start,but that was the only thing they could have cheered about for the next three seasons.Sixth place in 2008,wooden spoon holders in the next and then again they bagged the sixth place in the third.In 2011,the management took bold decisions that included releasing Sourav Ganguly.Gautam Gambhir was roped in as the new skipper.And the results were instantaneous,for the first time reached the play-offs but could not get over the finishing line.

Next season,a relatively unknown spinner was bought at the auction at a surprisingly high price of $700,000.That amount was way too much for someone whose base price was a mere $50,000 and boasted an experience of just 3 international matches.Later,as it turned out to be,Sunil Narine was adjudged the Player of the Tournament and was instrumental in KKR’s maiden title triumph.

Sunil Narine:The Unsolved Enigma

The ‘Mystery Spinner’,as he was tagged by media and critics alike,became a vital cog in the wheel for KKR and skipper’s Gambhir go-to man.He would bowl in the powerplays,in the middle overs when the going would get tough and others struggled and even in the death.And he never disappointed.He spun the ball and bamboozled the batsman,gaining reputation with each passing day.And the man with the Mohawk significantly influenced KKR’s 9 match unbeaten run in 2014 which saw his side lifting the title twice in a span of three years.All good things never last forever.Similarly,in the CLT20 2014,he was called for suspect action which led to his suspension from bowling in all tournaments conducted by the BCCI.

In IPL 2015,Narine had his action remodeled and he was pretty ineffective before he was called again.His ineffectiveness in that season coincided with KKR not making to the play-offs despite being on the top of the table after 12 matches. But nevertheless,his impact for his team is unquestionable but for those who will still question.Here are some numbers:

The NARINE effect on KKR

	Played	Won	Win Percentage
Before Narine	57	24	42.105%
Since the arrival of Narine	64	36	56.25%
Overall	121	60	49.58%

The Narine effect is clearly evident.A team with a win percentage of just above 40 have won the title twice in the last few years is not something which can termed as coincidental with the arrival of a player.The player ought to have something that made the team that it is today.Though the player may have been facing problems lately,but aren’t champions tested in times of despair.Haven’t we seen players play even after fighting cancer?But that is different issue.Few of us can still harbor doubts about this man’s ability.To clear those doubts,I reckon people to have a look at his stats in the T20 format and the IPL.

Sunil Narine's statistics(T20 format)

	Mat	Wkts	Ave	Eco	SR	BBM
T20	168	216	16.44	5.52	17.8	5/19
IPL	55	74	17.77	6.00	17.77	5/19

Now,these are mind-boggling stats for this format which have been always cruel to bowlers.An economy of just 6.00 in the IPL where every other game is a run-fest added with an astonishing strike rate of 17.77 can make any one stand out .And these are the things which have made Narine a threat to every batsman.And these stats are a testimony to the fact that he has been the hero behind KKR’s resurgence in the IPL.

Hope that he regains his mojo back!