Ambati Rayudu has no doubt whatsoever: Sunil Narine is the "best IPL player, according to me. [Of] all time." It came after Narine had returned 2 for 29 from his four overs against Gujarat Titans (GT) to play a key role in a 29-run Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win in IPL 2026,. it was difficult to argue: Narine has done it year after year for KKR, and doesn't look like he is in the mood to stop.
"Proper match-winner with the ball. [and] with the bat," Rayudu continued on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show after Narine was named Player of the Match in his 200th IPL appearance. "There have been such great players in the IPL, but this guy always stands out. He's on the top of the list for me."
Sanjay Bangar, sitting alongside Rayudu, wasn't as effusive, but did place Narine in his "top five" for greatest IPL performers. called him "a legend of the league".
"Some great names have plied their trade in this league, but yes, longevity is a factor," Bangar said. "He had had to also overcome a lot of other problems in terms of how his action was questioned on many occasions,. he seems to have found another way of delivering with the same overspin that you generally associate with his skill set, [while] retaining the ability to get the ball turning both ways. And that puts massive doubts in the batter's mind. I think some of those qualities make him a legend of the league."
Narine is only behind Yuzvendra Chahal (230 wickets). Bhuvneshwar Kumar (220 wickets) on the list of highest wicket-takers in the IPL, with 205 against his name.
He is also the most-capped overseas player in the IPL, a one-team man who has played every season with KKR since 2012, which was the first time KKR won the IPL. he took 24 wickets at an economy rate of 5.47. When KKR won the title again in 2014, Narine was back at the forefront, with 21 wickets at 6.35. A decade on. in 2024, when KKR won the title for the third time, Narine picked up 17 wickets at 6.69. This season, he is going at 6.79.
Not once in all these seasons has his economy rate crossed the eight-an-over mark. Which made the 7.25 on Saturday seem "regulation", as Bangar put it: "These are regulation figures for him. He has not done anything extraordinary, he has just done what he does on a regular basis."
Bangar spoke of an off-air discussion on Narine with Rayudu, where he quizzed the former Mumbai Indians (MI). Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter - 175 matches in total there across 12 seasons - on his plan of action against Narine when they faced off.
"He [Rayudu] said that he tended to bat defensively against him [Narine], those ones. twos were the ways to go," Bangar said. "But there have been instances where people have tried to slog-sweep him, play off the back foot through the off side,. nobody has actually taken him down in the manner in which the other spinners, some great spinners, have [been dominated] in the IPL.
"He seems to be a complete revelation in terms of [how] none of the batters over the last 12 or 13 years [Narine is in his 15th year]. he has played in the IPL has been able to dominate him."
Rayudu also provided an insight on why Narine is often more successful when some others - Rashid Khan. for example, returned none for 57 on Saturday - struggle for consistency in a batter-dominated world.
"I think Rashid Khan has a unique problem, especially on pitches like that, because everything is a topspinner," Rayudu said. "When that kind of a ball falls on the surface, it tends to come on quickly to the bat. But with Sunil Narine, everything he bowls tends to just hold in the surface. That's something that always happens. His ball never skids onto the bat.
"So I just feel. as a batsman, it's always tough to line up someone like a Sunil Narine, because the ball tends to hold. You tend to lose your shape more often than not."
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