Big Boost For Kolkata Knight Riders! Star Allrounder To Return For Big Clash vs MI
According to a report, Sunil Narine reported ill on the morning of Kolkata Knight Riders' last match, which they won in Guwahati against the Rajasthan Royals.
In what might come as a big boost for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, star all-rounder Sunil Narine is all set to return to the playing XI against the Mumbai Indians, after missing out on their previous match against the Rajasthan Royals, which they won by eight wickets.
Narine has returned to training and is expected to be available for selection for Kolkata’s next match, against Mumbai on Monday evening at the Wankhede Stadium.
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According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, Narine reported ill on the morning of Kolkata’s last match, which they won in Guwahati against Rajasthan and Moeen Ali replaced him.
“I’ve been practising well and I just try to be ready all the time. I was told this morning that Sunny [Narine] was not well and to just be ready whenever. Obviously, hard to replace Sunny, but I felt like I did a nice job of it," Moeen said after the match.
“You’re just waiting for your turn and when the chance comes, you try and take it as much as you can. But on some wickets like today, I probably used my experience as much as I could to actually keep it simple, keep the stumps in play, keep the line to the left-handers in particular quite straight and just try and spin the ball," Moeen added.
According to the report, Narine required medical attention but returned to the team hotel in the evening and was a part of their celebrations.
Moeen performed well with the ball, dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Nitish Rana on his way to returns of 2/23 from his four overs.
But filling in for Narine at the top of the batting order, Moeen struggled, scoring just five runs in 12 deliveries.
Narine, a crucial part of Kolkata since his first season in 2012, was one of their better performers in the opening night defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at home.
Kolkata will take a lot of heart from their 24-run victory over Mumbai in 2024 — their first at Wankhede Stadium in 12 years and the one that reminded them that this venue has not been a fortress of late for the five-time winners.
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