Sunil Narine becomes the first player to secure this award three times in IPL history
Published - 27 May 2024, 10:41 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:52 PM
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine created history following the victory against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the final match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Sunil Narine became the first player in the history of the IPL to secure the Most Valuable Player award three times.
The Knight Riders secured their third title by beating SunRisers Hyderabad at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 26. The Shreyas Iyer-led team outplayed the Pat Cummins-led team in a one-sided encounter. They chased down the 114-run target in 10.3 overs with eight wickets in hand.
Sunil Narine Becomes First Player To Secure This Award Three Times In IPL
Sunil Narine is the only player to be part of the Kolkata Knight Riders' three title-winning campaigns. The spin bowler has been with the Knight Riders since the 2012 season. The 36-year-old cricketer was part of the title-winning campaigns in 2012 and 2014 under the leadership of the legendary Gautam Gambhir.
Sunil Narine secured the Player of the Tournament award for his contributions with both bat and ball in the recently concluded tournament. This marks Narine's third award in IPL history, having previously won it in 2012 and 2018. He has become the first player to win the award three times in the history of the IPL.
Player of the tournament (MVP) in each IPL season
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) May 26, 2024
2008 - Watson
2009 - Gilchrist
2010 - Tendulkar
2011 - Gayle
2012 - Narine
2013 - Watson
2014 - Maxwell
2015 - Russell
2016 - Kohli
2017 - Stokes
2018 - Narine
2019 - Russell
2020 - Archer
2021 - Harshal
2022 - Buttler
2023 -…
In IPL 2024, Narine was promoted to the opening position for the Knight Riders. The Trinidadian provided aggressive starts alongside Phil Salt in the tournament. The left-handed batter scored 488 runs in 15 matches at an average of 34.85 and an impressive strike rate of 180.74, including one century and three fifties.
With the ball, the Trinidadian took 17 wickets at an average of 21.64 and a commendable economy rate of 6.69. Narine ended as the fourth-highest wicket-taker for KKR, trailing behind Varun Chakaravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Andre Russell. The spinner secured one wicket for just 16 runs in four overs in the final match.
It Felt Like 2012 - Sunil Narine
At the presentation ceremony, Sunil Narine said that KKR was well-prepared in every aspect of the game to clinch the title. The all-rounder acknowledged missing Phil Salt in the final and appreciated the contribution of Rahmanullah Gurbaz.
"Coming into the ground today, it felt like 2012. The feeling is overwhelming and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift. I am enjoying my cricket at the moment - batting, bowling and fielding. What helps is when the team is winning," Narine said.
"Getting the role to just go out there and express myself, getting team off to a flyer, the support from GG - that was very good. Salty played an incredible season. We missed him but Gurbaz came in and filled the role. Once you have an opening partner with the same intent, it's good for the team," Narine added.
Mitchell Starc was awarded Player of the Match for his outstanding performance, securing figures of 2 wickets for 14 runs in his spell. Venkatesh Iyer played aggressively to help KKR chase down the target. Rahmanullah Gurbaz contributed with 39 runs off 32 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes.
