When premier West Indian spinner Sunil Narine was struggling with his uncertain future due to his banned bowling action, his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders came to the rescue.
As per the report in The Times of India, KKR, co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, backed the bowler in his toughest time with the Kolkata-based franchise appointing biomechanist Carl Crowe to help the offie rework his action.
“I flew to Trinidad with all my equipment,” Carl told TOI. “It wasn’t just going to be an action-correction exercise. It was a test of getting things done in a manner where the bowler’s confidence had to be restored as much as the skill. It wasn’t about the arm and the action. It was about his body, his mind and his cricket.”
During this time, all of Narine’s expenses were paid for by the two-time IPL champions KKR.
Now as the ICC has given Narine the green light to bowl, the spinner is set to play the 2nd match of the IPL for KKR, which is against title holders Mumbai Indians.
Narine, 27, missed the team’s opening encounter against Delhi Daredevils, due to death of his father early this month.
The mystery spinner has been an important cog of Gutam Gambhir-led KKR for years and his return will make Kolkata’s already strong bowling line up a force to reckon with.