Sunil Narine Named As Skipper Of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders For Inaugural Season of ILT20 League

Sunil Narine, a bowling all-arounder from the West Indies, has been named Abu Dhabi Knight Riders’ ILT20 League captain. The ILT20 league will begin in the UAE on January 13 of the following year. In the first iteration of the competition, six teams will take part. 

Players from the West Indies including Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Raymon Reifer, Kennar Lewis, and Ravi Rampaul will be playing with Narine. Additionally, international athletes including Jonny Bairstow, Seekuge Prasanna, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Paul Stirling, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, and Colin Ingram play for the Abu Dhabi franchise.

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Sunil Narine Looking Forward To Captaincy Role

The 34-year-old claimed that the leadership position is a “new challenge” for him since it requires him to consider how the entire squad operates. 

“I am very excited to take up the role as captain of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. It is a new challenge, because now I have to think about the functioning of our whole team, rather than just focus on my game or my four overs,” Sunil Narine said in a statement. 

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“It is something I am really looking forward to. I have grown on Knight Riders, and Knight Riders have grown on me, so it is like a family. Everywhere they have a team, I love being a part of it. I have played a lot of cricket in the UAE, so I know the conditions pretty well.  

“If you look at the ADKR squad, it is a familiar setup, and not a brand new XI that I have to get used to. So that gives me great confidence, knowing the strength of my players.

There are a lot of senior guys in the team as well, who I can bounce ideas and information off. It is going to be a lot of fun, it has been a long journey with the Knight Riders family, and I hope it is a never-ending one,” he added.  

On January 12, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will take on Dubai Capitals in the opening match of the inaugural ILT20, with the final of the six-team league’s 34 games set for February 12. It will coincide with the opening of both the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia and the SA20 league in South Africa. 

Between 2012 and 2022, Sunil Narine, who has a history with Kolkata Knight Riders, participated in 148 games for the team in the Indian Premier League. He has 152 wickets to his credit, with the highest being 5/19. 

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