Drama Begins Before the First Ball! Narine’s Bat Gets Special Attention

In a match for the ages during an IPL 2025 fixture on April 15, the Punjab Kings engineered one of the greatest upsets in tournament history by defending a record-low total of 111 against the perennially high-flying Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It was not all about the play on the field, though. A strange pre-match incident relating to Sunil Narine's bat check turned viral and served to add another layer of drama to an already dramatic evening.

As the batsmen prepared to pursue Punjab's humble total, Sunil Narine found himself involved in a routine bat-check by the umpires. The whole scenario, which was caught on camera, involved the officials examining Narine's bat meticulously. Social media viewers promptly converted the incident into a meme session, facetiously captioning it "Sunil Narayan ki chori pakdi gayi"—implying in jest that he may have been attempting to hide a favorable bat.

While the bat was declared legal and Narine stepped into the field, what ensued was much more surprising. Pursuing only 112 runs, KKR began well and were sailing at 71/3. But then suddenly came a dramatic collapse. KKR lost 7 wickets for a mere 24 runs, getting bowled out for 95 in 15.1 overs. Punjab's bowlers, particularly Yuzvendra Chahal (4/28) and Marco Jansen (3/17), bowled masterfully to write history

 

 

 

 

 

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The match will be remembered not just for the lowest successful defense in IPL history, but also for its quirky moments such as Narine's bat inspection that provided a laugh to the fans before the shock.

Also Read:-IPL 2025 Points Table, Purple Cap and Orange Cap after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) Match No 31

From bat checks to batting collapses—this match had everything, and that is why once again IPL has proved to be the most entertaining cricket league in the world.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are preparing to take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) tomorrow (April 15) at Mullanpur Stadium. KKR and PBKS, both with 6 points, are currently in fifth and sixth place, respectively. KKR, with a slightly better net run rate, holds its spot over Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 points table. Though PBKS played a game less than KKR— KKR with 6 points after playing 6, and PBKS with 6 points after playing 5. A win over the defending champion will take the Punjab-based team to a higher position on the ladder.

Read More: Which team used the impact player rule best in IPL 2025?

KKR have so far experienced a bumpy road with 3 defeats. To hoist the trophy in back-to-back seasons, they need to show their team bonding and a performance as a unit on the field. KKR, on their social media platforms, shared some moments from their practice session. A video with the caption "Gurbaz: Making of a Mystery Spinner" shows Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz teaming up with Sunil Narine and bowling in the net.

Narine started his cricket career as a mystery spinner. Later, he developed his batting skills, and now he is a regular opening batter for KKR. But his aura as a spinner still lives on. New generation players try to replicate the West Indian cricketer's bowling action, the same we can see in the video with Gurbaz.

Watch the video here;

Gurbaz: Making of a Mystery Spinner 😅 pic.twitter.com/U6ZiB5JeJS

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) April 14, 2025

Rahmanullah Gurbaz is waiting for his turn in the first XI

Afghanistan's star opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has recently been seen honing his spin bowling skills in the nets, drawing inspiration from none other than Sunil Narine. Observing Narine’s unique grip and bowling action closely, Gurbaz decided to experiment with his own version of spin, adding a new dimension to his cricketing skillset. Although yet to make his first appearance in IPL 2025 for the Kolkata Knight Riders, the young batter is making the most of his time in training sessions.

Gurbaz has been a part of the KKR setup since 2023. That season marked his best IPL performance so far, where he amassed 227 runs across 11 innings. However, the following year saw limited opportunities, with the Afghan opener getting to play just two innings and scoring 62 runs. Across his IPL journey with KKR, Gurbaz has accumulated 289 runs from 13 innings—a promising record that he’ll look to build upon in the current season.

The 25th match of IPL 2025 was played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. In this match, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by 8 wickets and registered their third win of this season. And this is the fifth consecutive defeat of Chennai Super Kings this season. It had never happened before that Chennai Super Kings lost five matches in a row. But this has happened and Chennai's team has lost five matches in a row.
This was the condition of the match

Talking about this match, Chennai Super Kings team lost the toss and came out to bat first. Chennai had a very bad start and Chennai Super Kings opener Devon Conway was out LBW off Moeen Ali's ball after scoring just 12 runs. After that, Rachin Ravindra also became the victim of Harshit Rana after scoring four runs in 9 balls. For Chennai Super Kings, Rahul Tripathi played a slow innings of 16 runs in 22 balls. He was clean boarded off Sunil Narayan's ball. Vijay Shankar scored 29 runs in 21 balls. Shivam Dubey remained unbeaten on 31 runs in 29 balls.

Apart from this, Ravichandran Ashwin scored 1, Ravindra Jadeja scored zero, Deepak Hooda scored zero, Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 1, Noor Ahmed returned to the pavilion after scoring one run. In this way, Chennai Super Kings could score only 103 runs at the loss of 9 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. From the Kolkata Knight Riders team, Sunil Narayan took three wickets for 13 runs in four overs. Apart from this, Varun Chakraborty took two wickets for 22 runs in four overs, Harshit Rana took two wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Moeen Ali and Vaibhav Arora also got one wicket each.

ALSO READ: IPL 2025: Why CSK’s batting is the weakest this season

KKR achieved the target easily

Chasing the target of 104 runs, the Kolkata Knight Riders team had a great start. Quinton de Kock played an innings of 23 runs with the help of three sixes in just 16 balls. Apart from this, Sunil Narine played a brilliant innings of 44 runs with the help of two fours and five sixes in 18 balls. He was clean bowled by Noor Ahmed.

Apart from this, captain Rahane scored 20 runs in 17 balls and Rinku Singh scored 15 runs in 12 balls. In this way, Kolkata Knight Riders achieved the target in 10.1 overs. Noor Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj got one success each from Chennai Super Kings and Chennai Super Kings had to face a crushing defeat.

Twitter reactions after KKR wins 25th match of IPL 2025

KKR win...... But CSK lost 💛💔🤧#CSKvsKKR pic.twitter.com/W7tvVYiK48

— MissViratian💖👸🏻 (@JerseyNo_18) April 11, 2025

KKR won the match against CSK

Congratulations purple team 💜

KKR fans: Dhoni captain ah vandha neenga kaagli daw... Idhu chumma muttu kudukuradhila 😭 pic.twitter.com/5QBGQ4jZbf

— 𝕏 (@asdeep_trends) April 11, 2025

KKR won the match by 8 wickets! #CSKvsKKR #KKRvsCSK pic.twitter.com/c6CXsDqSiK

— KOTH Gaming (@KOTHGaming_) April 11, 2025

If they have removed Ruturaj Gaikwad and the reason was not injury but captaincy ,

Then the joke is on CSK #CSKvsKKR pic.twitter.com/VqfOXKODMf

— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) April 11, 2025

2 Times IPL champions for a reason😎#KKRvsCSK pic.twitter.com/m2qxCkDiWw

— Comedyculture.in (@ComedycultureIn) April 11, 2025

KKR hitting runs effortlessly
CSK batters pic.twitter.com/nDeTxXaJwx

— Comedyculture.in (@ComedycultureIn) April 11, 2025

After watching #Csk ‘s performance only one meme comes to my mind

Tripati 🤦🏻‍♂️ Hooda impact player yendhira @ChennaiIPL

Nuvvu yentha binna retire aipothey @msdhoni ne peru chedipokunda untadhi #CSKvsKKR #IPL pic.twitter.com/dQeecVER4C

— Karthik Chowdary (@KChowdaryyy) April 11, 2025

Nacho .. unbelievable win by KKR 😍 #KKRvsKXIP pic.twitter.com/3wAniMQD1n

— Funnily Serious (@notionalvieww) October 10, 2020

A lesson need to be learn from KKR

No Orange cap,
No Purple cap

Still won the Trophy, Virat Kohli should understand and start playing for the team.pic.twitter.com/S0xaHrVzJK

— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) May 26, 2024

Easy win for KKR.
Intha Tinpot CSK va mudichu vittu sikram 2 point ooda kelambunga da ooruku. pic.twitter.com/H5eyMl5D4T

— CHE RAM (@A_n_b_e_S_i_vam) April 11, 2025

Ammo Harshit rana bowling inka asalu 6 lu 4 lu ivadu oka wicket tisadu already ink okti loading 🥵 🔥
Easy peasy win for kkr 🔥🥵 150 kuda kotaru csk

— suksha 🚩 (@porapilabacha) April 11, 2025

On Tuesday afternoon (April 8), the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Lucknow Super Giants (KKR vs LSG) match will be played at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, which has been scheduled for the 21st match of the IPL 2025. Let's check the KKR vs LSG Dream11 top captains and vice-captains.  

IPL 2025, Match 21: KKR vs LSG Probable XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora/Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Impact Sub)

Lucknow Super Giants Predicted Playing XI: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh/Digvesh Rathi (Impact Sub), Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (Captain), Ayush Badoni, David Miller, Abdul Samad/Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep

See Also: KKR vs LSG: Match 21 Weather and Pitch Report IPL 2025

IPL 2025, Match 21: KKR vs LSG Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Captain choices

Nicholas Pooran: Caribbean cricketer Nicholas Pooran has proven himself one of the most dangerous batters with his strong six-hitting abilities. He has scored 75, 70, 44, and 12 runs this season and also holds the record for most sixes in this IPL season with 16 sixes. 

Mitchell Marsh: In the ongoing IPL season, Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh scored 72, 52, 0, and 60 runs, respectively. He is providing fiery starts with a strike rate of 160+. 

Varun Chakravarthy: Leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy is a key name in the KKR squad, who is currently in dream form with the ball. He has taken six wickets in four matches this IPL season, including taking three wickets in their last game against SunRisers Hyderabad. 

Top 3 Vice-captain choices

Sunil Narine: Caribbean cricketer Sunil Narine is still fighting hard to find his form. In this IPL season, his best performance is a 44-run knock as an opener in the first match of the tournament. He has also picked up two wickets in three matches this season. 

Andre Russell: Another KKR all-rounder Andre Russell hasn't produced his fiery batting performance yet as he hasn't managed double-digit scores in three innings of this tournament. However, in the last two games, Russell picked up two wickets each. 

Shardul Thakur: While KKR's top-order batting is struggling, LSG pacer Shardul Thakur will have an important role with the new ball. He has already taken seven wickets in four matches in the IPL 2025, including picking up two wickets in his first over of their first two matches of the season. 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), IPL 2025: A pure authoritative win for Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens against Sunrisers Hyderabad. From batting to bowling, KKR dominated SRH with ease and resulted in a win by an 80-run margin. KKR put a standout 200 runs on the scoreboard, which proved enough to outclass the batting lineup, which has some batting powerhouses like Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, and Heinrich Klaasen. Despite this thumping victory, KKR team management should rethink their team lineup, as some of their players are suffering from inconsistency, which can prove fatal for the team later.

Read More: 50 in 18 balls, even KKR fans might not witness this Angkrish Raghuvanshi innings

The opening pair

Quinton de Kock, a full-time opener, has already passed through his prime days. The 97 not out against Rajasthan Royals was a glimpse of his talent. But will he be able to maintain his form? So far, the answer is not satisfying. Last night against SRH, the South African keeper went back to the pavilion after scoring only 1. In total, he scored 103 runs in 4 games, supported by a 97* run knock.

The same story with the other opener, Sunil Narine, also. After scoring a 44 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Narine's bat remained cold. In 3 matches he got only 89 runs as a batsman.For a solid innings foundation, an in-form opening pair any day can prove useful.

Andre Russell

The big hitter from the West Indies is now 36 and away from his prime days. It's been a long time since the crowd witnessed a ruling innings by the Caribbean. In this season with Kolkata Knight Riders, Russell scored only 10 runs in 3 innings, and with the ball, he took 4 wickets in 2 wickets. KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane likes to use Russell as an occasional bowler. Russell needs to rise again to provide something for the legacy he built throughout his career.

Sunil Narine's batting troubles continued as he was bowled early in Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 15th match of IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Batting in the opening slot, Narine made 7 runs off 7 balls, including a six, before being bowled by a masterful ball from Mohammed Shami in the third over.

Sunil Narine Dismissed Early

Shami served a timely yorker outside off-stump on the third delivery of the over. Narine, in an attempt to play for room, stepped back and attempted to cut the ball to the off-side. But the ball hit an edge before his bat could land on the ground. Wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen reacted quickly, diving to the right to take a wonderful catch.

ALSO SEE: Swastik Chikara’s Birthday Celebration: Nearly Biting Virat Kohli’s Finger!

pic.twitter.com/5qEfmhBF1y

— Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) April 3, 2025

Sunil Narine vs Muhammed Shami in IPL.

4 : Innings
1 : Runs
9 : Balls
2 : Dissmisels pic.twitter.com/a9fyqXf15H

— Gurlabh Singh (@gurlabhsingh610) April 3, 2025

Although there was a definite edge, Narine seemed to be in a trance. The doubt came because his bat hit the ground around the same time as the ball hit the edge.

Although KKR lost initial momentum, they managed to post a decent score of 200/6 in 20 overs, giving their bowlers a good target to defend.

On Thursday evening (April 3), Kolkata Knight Riders vs SunRisers Hyderabad (KKR vs SRH) will be played in the 15th match of the IPL 2025 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Let's check the Dream11 top captains and vice-captains of the IPL 2025. 

IPL 2025, Match 15: KKR vs SRH Probable XIs

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing 11: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (Captain), Rinku Singh/Manish Pandey, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell/Rovman Powell, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje/Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora/Angkrish Raghuvanshi (Impact Sub)

SunRisers Hyderabad Predicted Playing 11: Travis Head/Adam Zampa (Impact Sub), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Zeeshan Ansari, Pat Cummins (Captain), Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel

See Also: IPL 2025: KKR vs SRH – Eden Gardens stadium stats and Preview

IPL 2025, Match 15: KKR vs SRH Dream11 Top Captains And Vice-captains

Top 3 Captain choices

Travis Head: Australian cricketer Travis Head is one of the most dangerous batters, who can change the game with his ability. Despite some challenges, Head has provided good starts for his team in the early IPL 2025 by scoring 67, 47, and 22 runs, respectively. 

Sunil Narine: Caribbean all-rounder Sunil Narine is a very important name for KKR, who plays an important role for his franchise with his effective bowling and powerplay-friendly opening batting. He scored 44 runs in the season opener but still needs to find his top form, which he can bring in the upcoming fixtures. 

Varun Chakravarthy: As KKR are returning to the Eden Gardens, Varun Chakravarthy can play an important role in the important match against SRH. 

Top 3 Vice-captain choices

Heinrich Klaasen: South African middle-order batter Heinrich Klaasen is a dangerous and consistent batter. He scored 34, 26, and 32 runs in the ongoing IPL 2025.

Quinton de Kock: Former South African cricketer Quinton de Kock has to play a very crucial role for the defending champions. Although he was dismissed twice in single digits in early IPL 2025, he also scored a match-winning 97 not out against Rajasthan Royals.

Pat Cummins: While SRH are struggling, captain Pat Cummins can inspire his team, which he does regularly. Apart from his effective pace bowling, Cummins can make a significant contribution with the bat as a cameo in the lower order. 

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (MI vs KKR) IPL: Sunil Narine, with bat and pad, back in the net session before the match against Mumbai Indians. He missed the previous IPL 2025 Kolkata Knight Riders match as he was unwell. Sunil Narine, who started his career as a mystery spinner, turned into a fearless batter and had some underwhelming stints against the Mumbai Indians in the last 5 matches he played.

Read More: IPL 2025: Mumbai Indians should follow Gautam Gambhir's footsteps to win IPL 2025

Kolkata Knight Riders are ready to lock horns against the home team Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium. Sunil Narine's availability in this game is yet to be clear. KKR was victorious against Rajasthan Royals without the service of Narine. Moin Ali, who replaced the West Indian all-rounder, took a couple of wickets at an economy rate of only 5.75 in 4 overs. Narine was not so impressive in front of the multiple-time IPL-winning team Mumbai Indians. 

Let's take a look at some Sunil Narine stats vs. Mumbai Indians:

IPL 2024

On May 3, 2024, KKR got a win against MI by a 24-run margin at the Wankhede Stadium, where Narine scored only 8 runs and took a couple of wickets at an economy rate of 5.50.

On May 11, 2024, KKR remained undefeated and won by 18 runs. In this match, Narine is back to the hut without scoring a run and a wicket with his name. 

IPL 2023

On April 16, 2023, the Mumbai Indians were better on the field and won by 5 wickets. Narine scored only 2 runs and was wicketless with over a 13 economy rate in the 3 overs he bowled. 

IPL 2022

April 6, 2022, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium: KKR won by 5 wickets. Narine got no wicket but conceded only 26 runs in 4 overs. 

On May 9, 2022, KKR got a huge victory over the Mumbai Indians by a 52-run margin. Narine went for a duck in this game and 0 wickets with his name. 

In the 12th match of the IPL 2025, Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai) will host Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders (MI vs KKR) match on Monday evening (March 31). Now, we are going through the top choices of Dream11 captains and vice-captains for the forthcoming MI vs KKR match.  

IPL 2025, Match 12: MI vs KKR Probable XIs

KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit has given a big update on Sunil Narine’s fitness ahead of their match against Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025. He confirmed that Narine is fully fit and ready to play.

Kolkata Knight Riders will face Mumbai Indians at Wankhede Stadium on Monday, March 31. There were concerns about Narine’s availability after he missed the last game against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati due to illness, with Moeen Ali replacing him.

But in good news for KKR, Narine was spotted training with the team on Saturday, March 29. He was seen practicing big hits in the nets, signaling that he was ready to return. Coach Chandrakant Pandit later confirmed it, assuring that Narine is fit for the game.

"Sunil Narine is 100 percent fit and has fully recovered for the game against Mumbai Indians," Pandit said. Sunil Narine is set to return to KKR’s playing XI for the match against Mumbai Indians, likely replacing Moeen Ali. Although Moeen bowled well in the last game, Narine’s comeback means he will take his spot in the lineup.

🚨 GOOD NEWS FOR KKR 🚨

- Sunil Narine is training with the team ahead of the Mumbai Indians match. pic.twitter.com/KYEnHggSrQ

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 29, 2025

ALSO READ: Teams with the Most Sixes in Powerplay Since IPL 2024

Narine made an impact in KKR’s first match of IPL 2025 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He played a crucial knock of 44 runs off 26 balls as an opener and also chipped in with the ball, finishing with figures of 1/27 in his four overs. KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit also spoke about the pitch concerns at Eden Gardens. He said the team is focused on playing on whatever surface is provided. While the pitch is in the curator’s hands, Pandit made it clear that his priority is the upcoming match and that the team won’t let external factors distract them.