Was Narine Already an Opener Before Kolkata Knight Riders Tried Him in 2017?
Sunil Narine has been one of the most explosive openers for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Several people think it was KKR's choice to put him as an opener in 2017. But before the IPL 2017, he was already tried as an opener by Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.
We have often heard the stories that Sunil Narine was tried as an opener for the first time in the Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Riders did make a huge decision by making him a designated opener for the team, which even helped them in various seasons. But before he opened for KKR, there was another team for which Narine had opened.
And it was Melbourne Renegades. Narine has also been an active player in the BBL at that time, as Melbourne Renegades decided to try out Narine at the opening slot. The first time he tried to open for a team in the T20 format came in the BBL 2017 edition, when he opened for Melbourne Renegades.
In his very first game as an opener for the team, he went on to score 21 runs off 13 balls. KKR was closely watching this move made by Melbourne Renegades, as they were getting ready for the IPL 2017 season. Amidst this, the captain and management made a bold call to put Narine in the opening slot from the IPL 2017. In his first game as an opener in IPL, he scored 37 runs off 18 balls.
Our Take
Sunil Narine has positioned himself as one of the key openers in the Indian Premier League history. While he is not opening for Kolkata Knight Riders right now, the decision has surely affected the team's performances to a great extent. With Narine as an opener, KKR was able to utilise the powerplay at its best. And thanks to the Melbourne Renegades, the team was able to discover his potential as an opener.