KKR vs DC: "Sunil Narine is a batting tragic.."- Matthew Hayden

Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden lauded Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Sunil Narine for his all-round performance during the match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Matthew Hayden stated that Sunil Narine significantly contributed to his team despite the loss.

The Shreyas Iyer-led team posted a mammoth total of 261 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Friday, April 26. However, the home team failed to defend the total in the 42nd match of the IPL 2024. The Punjab Kings recorded the highest successful run chase in IPL history.

Narine and Phil Salt formed a 138-run opening partnership in 10.2 overs. Rahul Chahar broke the partnership by dismissing Narine, who scored 71 runs off 32 balls, featuring nine fours and four sixes. Salt added 71 runs off 32 balls, including nine boundaries and four sixes.

Sunil Narine Is Doing His Job - Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden expressed sympathy with Sunil Narine, who performed exceptionally but ended up on the losing side. Hayden stated that he's experienced such situations. Hayden acknowledged Narine's consistent performances this season.

“I have been in these situations where you are the performer of the game. And when you lose a match like that, it hurts so badly. I felt so bad for him after he came out to hit the most fours in the innings. It was salt all over wounds. He is doing his job; he is averaging 49 in this IPL,” Hayden told Star Sports.

Narine conceded 24 runs and picked up one wicket in his four overs. However, his performance was not enough for his team to prevent PBKS from chasing down the target. The other bowlers combined gave away 236 runs without taking any wickets, at a dismal economy rate of 16.09.

Have Heard About How Hard Sunil Narine Trains - Matthew Hayden

Matthew Hayden expressed surprise at Sunil Narine's batting prowess. The former cricketer praised Narine for his dedication to improving his batting skills, stating that he values his batting.

“I would never have thought that we would talk about Narine from a batting point of view. But he has come back to his credit. I have heard about how hard he trains and how much he values his batting. He is a batting tragic. When you think of Sunil, it’s about his mystery bowling, not so much his batting. But well done,” Hayden added.

Sunil Narine is the highest run-getter for Kolkata in the ongoing tournament. The left-handed batter has scored 357 runs in 8 games at an average of 44.62 and a strike rate of 184.02. Overall, he holds the second position in the Orange Cap list, behind Virat Kohli, who has scored 379 runs.

The 35-year-old spinner is the leading wicket-taker for his team, having taken 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.96, with his best bowling figures being 2/30. Narine will be next seen in action when KKR faces the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Monday, April 29.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Yuvraj Singh wants the end of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is