“There’s no way we are getting to him”

Former Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Ambati Rayudu has made a stunning revelation about how the team planned for Sunil Narine during his tenure with the franchise. Rayudu disclosed that they always decided to merely play out the spinner instead of attacking him.

The right-handed batter started his IPL career with the Mumbai Indians in 2010 and was part of their title victories in 2013, 2015, and 2017. He is still the fourth-highest run-getter for the franchise, compiling 2635 runs in 136 matches at a strike rate of 123.36.

On Tuesday, April 29, the Delhi Capitals (DC) lost to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in New Delhi in the 48th match of IPL 2025. Keeping in mind Narine’s heroics against the hosts, Rayudu said while speaking on ESPNcricinfo (via Hindustan Times):

“We have had team meetings on how to tackle Narine when I was with MI for quite a few years, leading up to us deciding, ‘No, let’s put the shutters down, see him off. There’s no way we are getting to him.'”

After the Trinidadian’s impactful 16-ball 27 propelled the Knight Riders to 204/9, he turned the match with the ball in the second innings. The veteran dismissed Axar Patel (43) and Tristan Stubbs (1) in the same over, followed by Faf du Plessis (62) in the next over to swing things back in Kolkata’s favor. With the 36-year-old registering figures of 4-0-29-3, the defending champions eventually won by 14 runs.

“He knows exactly what to bowl, when, and stay calm under pressure” – Ambati Rayudu on Sunil Narine

In the same conversation, Rayudu underlined the reason the Knight Riders retained Narine, claiming that the West Indian had the potential to dismantle the opposition’s batting line-up. He added:

“He’s been doing that for a long time in the IPL. It is not the first time we have seen him do things like this in the middle overs. He completely dismantles the opposition’s batting, and very few bowlers have had that power over any batting unit in the middle overs. KKR retained him for this reason. He knows exactly what to bowl, when, and stay calm under pressure.”

With the 14-run victory, the Knight Riders have kept themselves alive in the playoff race. However, they still need plenty of things to go their way to defend their crown.

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Aayushman is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda who covers news, features and listicles. A Finance graduate with a diploma in journalism, he has a total work experience of around 7 years and has bylines at reputed websites like Free Press Journal, Cricket Addictor, and Roar. Aayushman believes in presenting all the relevant information and facts in his articles to let the readers form their own opinions. His exploits in the industry have led to interview former Australia stalwart David Hussey.

A former Tata Consultancy Services employee, Aayushman has been supporting the Australian men’s national team after being impressed with their aggressive and never-say-die attitude in the 2003 ICC World Cup. His favorite cricketer is Steve Smith, whose tremendous self-belief in his methods, despite them being unorthodox, inspire him a lot. Smith’s performances from 2019 Ashes Series only fueled this inspiration further. He would like to revisit the 2015 ICC World Cup semi-final clash between India and Australia if ever got hold of a time machine.

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Edited by Parag Jain