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. 4. Andre Russell’s 4/5 against Gujarat Titans, 2022 In 2022, when KKR met Gujarat Titans (GT) for the first time, the latter emerged victorious by eight runs but the former’s stalwart Andre Russell put up a superb bowling show. Batting first after winning the toss, Gujarat lost Shubman Gill early but captain Hardik Pandya stood at the crease with Wriddhiman Saha and stabilised the innings. Russell came to bowl the final over of the innings and got Abhinav Manohar and Lockie Ferguson in the first two deliveries. The Caribbean player couldn’t pick up a hat-trick but became the first bowler in the IPL to clinch four wickets in an over with the scalps of Rahul Tewatia and Yash Dayal. Also Check: Top CSK bowling performances in IPL history 3. Shoaib Akhtar’s 4/11 against Delhi Capitals, 2008 Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the inaugural IPL season in 2008. Playing his debut game against Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) at distinguished Eden Gardens, the speedster looked formidable and guided KKR to a 23-run victory. Defending only 133, Knight Riders witnessed a magnificent bowling display from Akhtar. In his three-over spell, he dismissed Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, AB de Villiers, and Manoj Tiwary to make the task easy for his team. Except for Gambhir, all his victims failed to score in double digits. Akhtar’s bowling effort (4/11) also got him the Player of the Match award at the end of the game. 2. Umesh Yadav’s 3/13 against Punjab Kings, 2014 Umesh Yadav can be called the unsung hero of KKR’s second title triumph in 2014. The India speedster delivered his best to Kolkata when required the most. In the Qualifier 1 played at Eden Gardens, Umesh delivered an economical and wicket-taking spell to KKR against Punjab Kings (then Kings XI Punjab). The paceman clinched 3/13 figures in his four-over spell and his performance resulted in KKR’s convincing 28-run win. Saving a decent total of 163 runs, KKR needed disciplined bowling performances and Umesh delivered one. His victims included key batters Virender Sehwag, Glenn Maxwell, and captain George Bailey. He also became the Player of the Match for his stunning bowling show. 1. Sunil Narine’s 4/21 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2021 Sunil Narine is considered one of the biggest match-winners for KKR. In his 12-year association with Kolkata, the Windies legend delivered numerous notable performances to the team, but in the 2021 Eliminator game, he got the better of RCB with his all-round performance and became the Player of the Match. At the beautiful Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. The challengers started rapidly as they amassed 49 run runs in five overs. On the first delivery of the sixth over, New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson struck RCB, sending Devdutt Padikkal back to the pavilion. Taking the momentum ahead, Narine delivered consistent breakthroughs to KKR, picking up Srikar Bharat, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell. The veteran’s exceptional bowling performance restricted RCB to a low score of 138. Narine also shone with the bat in the second innings of the game and steered his team to a four-wicket triumph with his 26-run innings off just 15 balls.

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IPL: Top 5 bowling performances of all time for KKR

KKR fans can remember some of the notable bowling displays of KKR in the cash-rich league with this article.

2. Umesh Yadav’s 3/13 against Punjab Kings, 2014

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