Sunil Narinehad a brain-fade moment during the Kolkata Knight Riders' innings against Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens on Saturday. The opener departed for a golden duck, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah in the second over after KKR opted to bat first.
This dismissal marked Narine's 44th duck in men's T20 cricket, making him the batter with the most ducks in the format. He also equalled Dinesh Karthik for the most ducks in IPL history with his 17th.
Bumrah's first delivery of the over was an inswinging yorker that Narine left alone. The dismissal mirrored Glenn Maxwell's blunder with the Melbourne Stars in the BBL a few years ago. Bumrah targeted Narine's toes, deceiving the batsman into thinking the ball would miss the stumps. By the time Narine reacted, the delivery had rattled his wickets.
Despite this setback, Narine has been a standout performer for KKR in IPL 2024. Opening the batting, he has amassed 461 runs in 11 matches at a remarkable strike rate of 183.67 and an average of 41.91. Notably, he scored his maiden T20 and IPL century with a scintillating innings against Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens.
Narine has also contributed with the ball, taking 14 wickets with an economy rate of 6.61. He stands on the cusp of becoming the first player in IPL history to achieve the feat of scoring 500-plus runs and taking 15 wickets in a single season.
