 "Sunil Narine's magic, Varun's finish keep KKR alive with 14-run win over DC: 'It was a total team effort'")
Sunil Narine was the hero once again as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 14 runs in their thrilling IPL 2025 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. After picking up three crucial wickets in the middle overs and effecting a vital run-out, Narine was rightly named Player of the Match.
Narine turns the match with triple strike
Narine struck when DC were looking solid with Faf du Plessis and Axar Patel building a strong partnership after the loss of early wickets. The West Indies legend dismissed Axar Patel and Tristan Stubbs in the same over and then returned to remove well-set Du Plessis. His wickets put KKR back into the game.
“It was a total team effort. The way we started with Gurbaz and then Angki [Raghuvanshi] and Rinku. I still back myself to come back and deliver for the team,” Narine said after the match.
“There are games you start early and struggle later and there are games you start late. I enjoyed all wickets, all are crucial. Self pride keeps me going. Always want to give the captain to give the option of having someone. If you want to be that kind of player, you have to keep up the hard work, even if there is no training,” he added.
Russell and Rahane praise Narine
Andre Russell, who bowled the tense final over, praised Narine’s impact and leadership on the field. Narine captained the side after regular skipper Ajinkya Rahane got hurt while fielding and had to leave the field. Vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer had already been subbed out after the first innings so Rahane made Narine the captain.
“[Narine’s 14th over] Bringing back himself was crucial. That over he got two wickets and the wickets he got were big wickets. That’s where all of us started to believe in winning the game. Him bringing himself back was crucial.”
KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane also hailed Narine’s contribution after the win. “When Sunil came into bowl and picked up two wickets, and when they lost three wickets in the middle, I thought that was the game for us,” Rahane said.
“Sunil bowled well, good support from Russell, and Roy bowled well. [Narine] He’s been a champions bowler for this franchise. A match-winner. As a captain, good to have him and Varun.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsKKR secure crucial victory to stay alive
Batting first, KKR rode on quick starts from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Narine, followed by solid knocks from Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh, to post 204/9 despite a late fightback by DC bowlers led by Mitchell Starc.
In the chase, DC lost early wickets but a strong partnership between Faf and Axar kept them alive. However, Narine’s brilliant spell along with Varun Chakravarthy’s double strike, derailed DC’s chase. Despite a spirited effort from Vipraj Nigam, DC finished at 190/9 as KKR secured a much-needed win.
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