Narine grabs third IPL MVP Award

Former West Indies off spinner Sunil Narine was presented with his third Indian Premier League (IPL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) got a spectacular eight-wicket win in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Narine took one for 16 taking his total for the season to 17 wickets as SRH were bowled out for only 113 inside 19 overs .

KKR’s Rahman-ullah Gurbaz with 39 off 32 balls and Venkatesh Iyer with 52 not out off 26 balls to destroy the opposition attack with a ruthless 91-run stand as they carried their team to the 114-run target with 57 balls to spare giving KKR their third IPL trophy.

Narine hit a six off his first ball but was dismissed by SRH captain Pat Cummins in the second over.

Though Narine didn’t get off with the bat in the final, he finished as KKR’s top scorer this season, with 488 from 14 innings at an average of 34.85. Narine struck three fifties in the season, along with a brilliant 109 runs which he scored against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens in Kolkata last month.

This was Narine’s maiden T20 century and his excellent performance during the season encouraged calls for his return to the West Indies team for the upcoming International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s T20 World Cup after he announced his retirement late last year.

Narine’s 488-run total was 11 short of the 499 runs off by his TT countryman Nicholas Pooran, while his 17-wickets taken was just two short of the 19 notched up by all-rounder Andre Russell who grabbed three for 19 in the final.

Narine’s MVP award for the 2024 season adds to his  previous MVP crowns from the 2012 where he grabbed 24 wickets, and in the 2018 season when he showed his all round ability scoring 357 runs, to go along with 17 wickets.