Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders are well on their way in establishing themselves firmly as one of the front-runners for the IPL Trophy.
However, the beginning was far from smooth. In fact, it was anything, but smooth.
Sunil Narine, their frontline bowler was in the headlines for a long time for his mysterious bowling action. This was so much of an eyesore and the authorities wasted no time in report this action and having it tested.
As a result of this, Narine was banned from bowling in IPL matches and just days before the curtains were all set to be raised on the 8th edition of IPL, there was no clarity on whether the bowler would be allowed to offer his services for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
As a consequence, KKR threatened to pull out of the high profile league, but the organisers swung into damage control mode, clearing Narine to bowl. Soon enough, the team forgot about the debacle and started performing to the best of its capability.
But now, again, that ghost is back to haunt them. Sunil Narine’s action has again kicked a problem and has been duly reported as suspect bowling action.
During Kolkata’s encounter against Sunrisers Hyderabad on the 22nd April, his action was picked up as something with concerns and was duly raised. It is now believed that he will undergo testing in Chennai.
That, however, doesn’t bar him from playing for KKR in the upcoming matches. However, one wouldn’t be sure as to how much risk would the Kolkata team be willing to take, fielding a player who has been reported for suspect action.
The key for KKR would be to find a suitable replacement and not depend on Narine overtly, thereby giving them the space to maneuver their moves and still be at the top of their game.
As for Narine, he’ll have to come up with a plan B aka a new bowling technique that can save him from such inspections in the future.
The Kolkata Knight Riders are pretty tight-lipped about the whole saga, but then, this isn’t something that they didn’t expect at all. Narine has been pulled up in the past as well, therefore, KKR would want to be safe rather than being sorry.