Sunil Narine becomes first player to win MVP award in IPL thrice

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Sunil Narine has clinched the ‘Most Valuable Player’ award in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the third time, a first in the league’s history, following KKR’s victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2024 season final.

Narine’s initial MVP accolade came during the IPL 2012, his debut season, where he secured 24 wickets. His second MVP title was earned in the 2018 season, amassing 357 runs and claiming 17 wickets.

In the 17th edition of the IPL, Narine exhibited stellar performances for KKR, tallying 488 runs and taking 17 wickets. During the IPL 2024 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Narine conceded only 16 runs and took a crucial wicket in his four-over spell, dismissing Jaydev Unadkat in the 18th over. He also contributed with the bat, scoring six runs off two balls at a striking rate of 300 during the run chase.

Under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, KKR secured their third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final match.

In the final showdown, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and opted to bat first. However, KKR’s bowling attack, led by Mitchell Starc, dismantled SRH’s batting line-up, restricting them to a mere 113 runs in 18.3 overs. Only skipper Pat Cummins and Aiden Markram managed to cross the 20-run mark.

KKR’s Andre Russell emerged as the top bowler, claiming three wickets for 19 runs. Starc and Harshit Rana also made significant contributions with two wickets each, while Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, and Vaibhav Arora each grabbed a wicket.

KKR chased down the 114-run target in just 10.3 overs with Venkatesh Iyer and Rahmanullah Gurbaz leading the charge, scoring 52* and 39 runs respectively, securing victory for their team in the tournament’s final showdown.