'This came as a surprise to the franchise': KKR Unhappy As Sunil Narine's Is Reported For Suspect Action

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have expressed their surprise over their spin spearhead Sunil Narine being reported for suspect action by the match officials last week.

The West Indies star’s bowling action was reported again at the end of KKR’s thrilling two-run win over the Kings XI Punjab in their IPL 2020 match in Abu Dhabi on October 10. Prior to that, Sunil Narine had starred with the ball, bowling the 18th and 20th overs to power KKR to a stunning win.

“The report was made by the on-field umpires [Ulhas Gandhe and Chris Gaffaney] according to the IPL’s Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Policy,” an IPL statement said.

The statement also added that Sunil Narine would be placed “on the warning list” but would be permitted to bowl unless there was another report against him. If his action is reported again, he would be “suspended from bowling” in the tournament until cleared by the BCCI’s committee that deals with suspect bowling actions.

KKR’s statement:

KKR released a statement on Monday, expressing their surprise over the development. The two-time IPL winners pointed out that the spinner has played 68 games since being last reported in the IPL 2015. KKR also pointed out that they are surprised their spinner’s action was reported in the sixth game of the competition.

“This came as a surprise to the franchise and Mr. Narine, considering he has played over 115 games in the IPL since 2012 and as many as 68 games since 2015, when he was last reported during the IPL season for a suspect action before being subsequently cleared completely by SRASSC, an ICC accredited facility,” read the statement from KKR.

“Furthermore, he was playing his 6th game this season, with no concerns expressed formally or informally by the match officials so far,” added the statement.

At the same time, KKR stated that they respect IPL’s decision and working with the authorities regarding the matter.

“Having said this, we are respectful of the process that the IPL has put in place to have his action reviewed, and are working closely with the IPL in this matter. We are hopeful that there would be an appropriate resolution quickly. We appreciate the cooperation being extended by the IPL in expediting this matter.”

KKR would be hoping that the matter is sorted out quickly as Sunil Narine is very integral to their players. With the ball, he has taken five wickets from six games so far, at a strike rate of 26.4 and an economy of 8.09. More importantly, he has been bowling extremely well in the death overs.

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