Ambati Rayudu reveals the one player that Mumbai Indians had given up on

Former Indian batter-turned-commentator Ambati Rayudu has made a striking revelation about Mumbai Indians’ long-standing struggles against the Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine. Reflecting on Sunil Narine’s game-changing spell in the IPL 2025 clash against Delhi Capitals, Rayudu admitted that the Mumbai Indians had once completely abandoned the idea of attacking the spinner.

After the Kolkata Knight Riders’ mystery spinner spun a web around the Delhi Capitals by dismissing both Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs in a single over, Rayudu revealed that even the five-time champions, the Mumbai Indians, had reached a point where their only game plan against Narine was pure survival.

Ambati Rayudu reveals MI’s secret fear for Sunil Narine

Narine has 31 wickets against MI in 26 matches to his name. Well, Rayudu, who played eight IPL seasons for MI between 2010 and 2017 and played 136 matches, admitted that Narine was always a big threat for the five-time champions’ middle order.

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Ambati Rayudu said on ESPNCricinfo, “We have had team meetings on how to tackle Narine when I was with MI for quite a few years, leading up to us deciding, 'No, let's put the shutters down, see him off. There's no way we are getting to him. He has been a thorn in MI's middle order for a long time.”

Ambati Rayudu reveals the exact reason behind KKR's move to retain Sunil Narine

The former Chennai Super Kings batter hailed Narine as one of the rare bowlers who can destroy any team’s middle order with ease. Rayudu has noted that Narine’s match-winning ability is exactly why KKR has kept faith in him season after season.

Rayudu signed off by saying, “He's been doing that for a long time in the IPL. It is not the first time we have seen him do things like this in the middle overs. He completely dismantles the opposition's batting, and very few bowlers have had that power over any batting unit in the middle overs. KKR retained him for this reason. He knows exactly what to bowl, when, and how to stay calm under pressure.”

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Daren Ganga hails Sunil Narine as the ultimate game-changer

Meanwhile, former West Indies opener Daren Ganga revealed how Sunil Narine was a game-changer right from his early days in Trinidad cricket. Ganga believes that Narine’s value in T20 cricket goes far beyond just numbers, as he's the kind of player who controls the tempo of a game and forces mistakes, making him a priceless asset in any squad.

Ganga stated, “We started playing with him knowing that the opposition would have 16-17 overs to bat, which was strictly based on economy. His penetration was not that good in the previous years, but if he's not getting tickets, he always creates that pressure from the other end. Narine is real money in T20 cricket.”

However, Narine has not been impressive with the bat in the ongoing IPL 2025, scoring only 178 runs in nine games, but he has been lethal with the ball for KKR, taking 10 wickets at an average of 25.40 and an economy rate of 7.70. He will be next seen in action on May 4, when KKR will face Rajasthan Royals in the tournament.

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