[Watch] KKR opener Sunil Narine smashes his maiden ton in IPL 2024 match vs RR
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine brought up his maiden IPL ton in the ongoing match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Eden Gardens on Tuesday. The Trinidadian took only 49 deliveries to reach the landmark, putting the home side on track for a healthy total.
The incident occurred in the 16th over of the innings bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. The left-hander slogged away one to the mid-wicket region for a boundary, with Shimron Hetmyer unable to stop it from going to the fence.
Fellow West Indian Andre Russell, who was at the non-striker's end, rushed to hug him, while Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, co-owner of the franchise, also clapped for him from the stands.
With Sunil Narine returning to the opening spot in this edition, the southpaw has grown from strength to strength with every match. Although the veteran opened his campaign with a single-figure score, he went on to register scores of 47, 85, 27, and 6 in the next four matches. The innings of 85 came against the Delhi Capitals as Kolkata posted a mammoth 272 in 20 overs.
Sunil Narine's ton carries Kolkata Knight Riders to 223/6 in 20 overs
The 35-year-old's 56-ball 109 ensured that the two-time champions set a stiff 224-run target to chase down. Trent Boult got the better of the West Indian in the 18th over of the innings as he sent down a pinpoint yorker.
Apart from the West Indian spin-bowling all-rounder, only Angkrish Raghuvanshi reached 30 runs among the Knight Riders. Kuldeep Sen and Avesh Khan picked up two wickets each, while Chahal and Boult snared one apiece.
Coming into the match, the Royals welcomed Jos Buttler and Ravichandran Ashwin back into the side after the star duo missed the previous game against the Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. The Knight Riders, on the other hand, didn't make any change from their comprehensive win over the Lucknow Super Giants at home.