IPL: Top 5 bowling performances of all time for KKR

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went through massive changes after 2010 after failing to qualify for the knockouts in the first three seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bowling was the biggest cause of the failure so the KKR team management snapped up some quality bowlers to emerge as a quality side.

They reserved the services of veterans such as Brett Lee, Lakshmipathya Balaji, Shakib Al Hasan, and Jacques Kallis to power their bowling attack. In 2012, they got West Indies’ off-break bowler Sunil Narine, who played an instrumental role in making Knight Riders two-time champions.  

In the 2024 auction, Kolkata again focused on strengthening their bowling unit to get the desired results in the upcoming season. They splurged INR 24.75 crore from their purse and signed up Australia pacer Mitchell Starc. After getting the Aussie at a hefty amount, the KKR team management will expect him to be at his best. The 2024 IPL edition is just a day away and Knight Riders fans can revisit some of the notable bowling displays of KKR in the cash-rich league with this article. 

Here are KKR’s five best bowling performances in IPL history:

5. Sunil Narine’s 4/15 against Mumbai Indians, 2014

Sunil Narine made his IPL debut in 2012 and made a huge contribution to KKR’s maiden title win. The West Indies stalwart took 24 wickets in 15 matches and ended up as the second-leading wicket-taker in the competition. One of his best performances in the season came against Mumbai Indians (MI) at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. 

Saving a low total of 140 for his team, Narine scalped four wickets that included key MI players Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, and Rohit Sharma. After the early fall of Herschelle Gibbs in the sixth over, MI were heading towards the target comfortably but Narine stepped up and got rid of Tendulkar. 

Following the Master Blaster’s wicket, MI never looked settled and got bundled out on 108. KKR registered a comfortable 32-run win and Narine also received the Player of the Match award for recording 4/15 figures.