Sunil Narine became the first overseas bowler, and the third overall, to take 200 wickets in the IPL when he dismissed Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Salil Arora on Sunday. Narine now joins an elite list, which includes only Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Narine is also the first bowler to take 200 wickets for a single team in the IPL, having played for only Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) since his debut in 2012. David Payne for Gloucestershire and Chris Wood for Hampshire are the only ones to achieve this feat in any franchise league, having taken 200-plus wickets in the T20 Blast.
When Narine first burst onto the IPL scene in 2012, it seemed he would get to 200 wickets much sooner than he eventually has. He took 24 wickets in his first season, and followed that with 20-plus wickets in each of the next two seasons. At the end of the 2014 season, he had 67 wickets, the most by any bowler in those three seasons. As if that wasn’t good enough, his economy rate of 5.77 was the best among bowlers who’d bowled at least five overs in this period.
Thereafter, wickets have been harder to come by. He has never topped 20 wickets in any season since then; the highest has been 17, in 2018 and 2024. The strike rate went up to over 27 balls per wicket, as he took only 85 wickets in 100 innings in the period between 2015 and 2022. Thereafter, he has averaged about 22 balls per wicket in the Impact Player era. Of his eight hauls of four or more wickets in an innings, six came in the 2012-14 period, and only two since then – one in 2015 and one in 2021.
However, while the wicket-taking ability went down a bit, what has remained unchanged throughout his T20 career is his ability to churn out economical overs. Among the 38 bowlers who have bowled 300 or more overs in the IPL, his economy rate is the best. Even since 2015, his economy rate of 7.13 is the best among bowlers with 200-plus overs in this period.
Of the 194 innings that he has bowled in the IPL, he has bowled at least three overs 189 times. In those 189 innings, he has gone at a run a ball or less 82 times, while he has conceded eight or fewer runs per over 141 times. On the other hand, only he has gone at more than ten per over only 14 times.
Compared to other spinners who’ve played in the same matches, Narine’s economy rate has always been more than one run better. Between 2012 and 2014, his economy rate was an outstanding 5.78, while other spinners who played in the matches he played in, went at 7.26. That’s a difference of 1.48. Between 2015 and 2022 it reduced, but was still 1.13. Since the advent of the Impact sub, it’s still over one run better than the other spinners in the matches he has played.
Narine has been tough to get away in all the phases, but especially so in the middle overs. Between overs seven and 16, his economy rate is 6.44, the best among 65 bowlers who’ve bowled at least 100 overs in this phase. However, his versatility comes through in the fact that he has been impressive in other phases as well: his economy rate is 6.9 across 161 overs in the powerplay, and 62 wickets at 16.35 and an economy rate of 7.97 at the death.
Over an IPL career of 15 years, Narine has bowled to some of the best T20 batters, and has excellent numbers against most of them. He has dismissed Rohit Sharma eight times in 137 deliveries, conceding only 145, while Shane Watson has managed only a run-a-ball 33, while being dismissed five times. Even AB de Villiers averages only 13.25 against him, scoring 53 off 39 for four dismissals, while Virat Kohli has just barely scored at more than a run a ball – 136 from 129 balls, four dismissals.
Out of 24 batters who’ve faced at least 50 balls from him, ten haven’t even managed a run a ball, and they include some big names of T20 cricket – Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, Quinton de Kock, Sanju Samson, and, most notably, MS Dhoni. In fact, Dhoni’s strike rate of 51.94 is the lowest for any batter who has faced 50 or more balls from any bowler in the IPL.
Only two batters have faced 50-plus deliveries from Narine and scored at a strike rate of over 140: Heinrich Klaasen (92 from 53 balls, strike rate 170.37), and David Warner (195 from 123, strike rate 158.53). That stat in itself illustrates what a champion Narine has been over a long IPL career.
With inputs from Namooh Shah and S Rajesh
