New Delhi: The Kolkata Knight Riders' make-shift opener Sunil Narine on Sunday created history by hitting the joint-fastest half-century in the history of Indian Premier League (IPL).


COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Chasing a modest 159-run target set by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), KKR started with Narine and dangerous Chris Lynn as openers at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.


Narine, who's more famous as the mystery bowler, blocked the first two balls he faced. Then the carnage began. He got first of his five fours, thanks to a lucky outside edge, off the bowling of fellow West Indian Samuel Badree. Next ball was a single.


The left-handed batsman then hit Badree for 25 runs next time they met in the fourth over, with a sequence scoring of 6,6,6,4,2,1. But Badree was not the lone bowler to suffer from his wrath.



In the fifth over, he hit Sreenath Aravind for 24 runs, which included two wides too, in a sequence of 2,4,4,4,1w,1w,6,4. That six brought up his maiden IPL fifty, off mere 15 balls. He thus shared IPL fastest fifty, with another KKR player Yusuf Pathan.


He, however, got out next ball, off the first ball of seventh over, to Aravind.



Earlier in the match, he took two wickets, and was deservedly awarded the Man of the Match award.


KKR won the match by six wickets with 29 balls remaining.