Kolkata Knight Riders left out spin spearhead Sunil Narine in their Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dubai on Monday. He was replaced by Englishman Tom Banton, who is making his IPL debut.
Narine’s bowling action was reported after Kolkata Knight Riders’ thrilling two-run win over the Kings XI Punjab in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Narine, who played a key role in the win, returned figures of 2 for 28. “The report was made by the on-field umpires [Ulhas Gandhe and Chris Gaffaney] according to the IPL’s Suspected Illegal Bowling Action Policy,” an IPL statement said, adding that Narine would be placed “on the warning list” but would be permitted to bowl unless there was another report against him.
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However, KKR on Monday expressed its surprise at the umpires’ decision to report Narine. “This came as a surprise to the franchise and Mr. Narine, considering he has played over 115 games in the IPL since 2012 and as many as 68 games since 2015, when he was last reported during the IPL season for a suspect action before being subsequently cleared completely by SRASSC, an ICC accredited facility,” KKR said in an official statement.
“Having said this, we are respectful of the process that the IPL has put in place to have his action reviewed, and are working closely with the IPL in this matter. We are hopeful that there would be an appropriate resolution quickly. We appreciate the cooperation being extended by the IPL in expediting this matter,” KKR added.
