The Knight Riders limited Rishabh Pant's side to 135-5 and seemed certain for victory after a 96-opening run stand from Shubman Gill and Venkatesh Iyer.
However, a flurry of late wickets left Kolkata requiring seven to win off Ravichandran Ashwin's final over to secure their final berth and maintain their perfect chasing record since the United Arab Emirates-based resumption.
Rahul Tripathi stood up to the task, blasting Ashwin's fourth ball for six after the off-spinner had removed Shakib Al Hasan and Sunil Narine with consecutive deliveries to leave the score at 130-7.
And Morgan cited Wednesday's qualifier clash as an example of the freedom of expression that the Knight Riders' culture has created.
"It should've been a lot easier after the start we got, Venky [Venkatesh Iyer] and [Shubman] Gill set us the platform," Morgan said at the post-match presentations.
"But we're in the final and we're delighted to get over the line. Six off two [in the final over], the odds were probably in favour of the bowling side, but Rahul Tripathi has done superbly well for us.
"It's a nice insight into our team culture. The young guys coming in are feeling free to express themselves. The backroom staff have created an environment for them to do this."
Iyer was bumped up the order after the coronavirus-enforced delay and the two-time IPL champions have since won seven out of nine matches – winning four games in a row for the first time since the 2018 edition of the tournament.
However, Morgan refused to take credit for the top-order alteration as Iyer continues to thrive, blasting 320 runs in the competition across nine matches at an average of 40.
"The Iyer idea [his elevation] came from the coach, he's a terrific player," England and KKR's captain continued. "He made the chase easy, it looked like he was batting on a different wicket.
"With the squad we have, there's expectation. We would like to keep going and we are playing against Chennai Super Kings – one of the best franchises in IPL history – but anything can happen."
KKR had lost each game since winning their tournament opener but were quickly on top on Monday, given a straightforward chase - led by captain Eoin Morgan (47 not out) and Rahul Tripathi (41) - after limiting the Kings to 123-9.
That total could easily have been far lower as Punjab failed to fire, with Mayank Agarwal their top scorer on an underwhelming 31 off 34.
By the time he departed to Sunil Narine in the 12th over, the Kings had just 60 runs on the board and had already lost three prior wickets - including Chris Gayle, who had previously averaged 47 against the Knight Riders but went for a duck.
Wickets continued to fall apace, but Chris Jordan ensured his side made three figures and then kept going, 30 off 18 keeping Punjab's slim hopes alive.
Those hopes grew when Kolkata made a similarly shaky start, losing three wickets in the first three overs.
But Tripathi survived and a partnership of 66 with Morgan set the stage for a stress-free finale, even with Andre Russell run out for 10.
A 13-run 16th over, including back-to-back Morgan boundaries, brought the finish line into view, with Dinesh Karthik's four then completing the job at 126-5 with 20 balls to spare.
Narine celebrations soon subside
The Knight Riders had not previously had much to savour this season, but Sunil Narine always enjoys himself against the Kings and figures of 2-22 took him to 30 Punjab wickets, the most of any bowler in the IPL.
His quota was finished by the time Jordan threatened a fightback, though, and then the West Indies all-rounder was unable to contribute with the bat as Ravi Bishnoi's outstanding diving catch ended his innings after four balls and no runs.
Morgan makes sure of no momentum swing
This has been a tough tournament for the Knight Riders and they might have feared another difficult outing against the Kings, who had been eight-wicket victors in their previous meeting in October.
But skipper Morgan was a typically steady presence throughout the chase before accelerating late on to pass 7,000 Twenty20 runs and ensure Kolkata retain the upper hand against a side they have now beaten in 13 of their past 16 outings.
Dismantled by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game, the Royals got the response they needed on Saturday.
Chris Morris was the star with the ball for Rajasthan, his 4-23 helping limit Kolkata to 133-9 at the Wankhede Stadium, while the South African also ran out Eoin Morgan.
Jos Buttler was struck in the grille early on by Pat Cummins, but the Royals did not allow that incident to shake them, captain Sanju Samson (42 not out) guiding them to an important victory.
Put into bat by Samson, KKR looked set to reach the end of the first powerplay with their full complement of wickets intact, only for Buttler to send Shubman Gill packing with a direct hit.
Gill had been dropped early on by Yashasvi Jaiswal, but the teenager atoned with a fine take to dismiss Sunil Narine.
Morgan was walking back to the sidelines without facing a ball when a mix-up with Rahul Tripathi resulted in a run-out.
Tripathi (36) made amends with a pair of sixes, yet he soon picked out Mustafizur Rahman at deep midwicket, and Morris subsequently took centre stage with four wickets in the space of two overs.
With an achievable target in Rajasthan's sites, Buttler took a nasty blow in the second over, but was passed fit to continue, only to be pinned leg before wicket by Varun Chakravarthy.
An impressive flurry from Jaiswal (22) was cut short in the next over, though Samson and Shivam Dube steadied the ship, picking their moments to punish any slack deliveries.
A googly from Varun did for Dube, with Rahul Tewatia succumbing in the 14th over.
KKR appeared to have the bit between their teeth when David Miller was given out lbw, but a review proved the ball had pitched outside leg and, after surviving a run-out scare, Samson clipped away the winning run with seven balls to spare.
Morgan gets it wrong
It was a poor performance all-round for Morgan – who had averaged 81 runs across his five previous knocks against the Royals – and his side. Tripathi was their top scorer with the bat, while Cummins (0-36) was particularly expensive with the ball, and Russell was not even called upon.
"The batting was the let down and we lacked a lot of intent throughout the whole innings," Morgan said. "We were behind the eight ball right from the get-go. Possibly, we were 40 short which is a lot in a T20 game. The bowlers had too much to do. It's a stark contrast to the last game."
More Mumbai misery for KKR
Kolkata had beaten the Royals in six of their last seven IPL encounters before Saturday's meeting, but that streak ended with a whimper.
Indeed, the Wankhede Stadium has been an unhappy hunting ground for KKR, who have now lost each of their last eight IPL games at the ground.
Morris was eventually signed by Rajasthan Royals - who he played for in 2015 - following a bidding war that saw four teams battling it out to secure the services of the South African all-rounder.
His final price finished up at 16.25crore, which equates to around £1.6million, putting him ahead of Yuvraj Singh (16cr) on the list of biggest auction purchases in the global Twenty20 tournament.
"I'm super-stoked, super-humbled to be joining Rajasthan again," Morris said in a video message posted by his new team on Twitter.
"I had an unbelievably good time, and a good season, one of the better times in my cricket career, with Rajasthan in 2015, so I'm unbelievably happy, unbelievably excited.
"We have a very good squad, so joining up with Rajasthan is a very cool experience."
Royal Challengers Bangalore were big spenders in their bid to secure a maiden title this year, getting New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson for 14.25cr (£1.5m) having already signed Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (14cr - £1.4m) for a fraction less than that earlier in proceedings.
Jhye Richardson also collected a huge deal, snapped up for the same price as compatriot Maxwell by Punjab Kings, who added another Australian paceman to their roster in Riley Meredith, who has yet to play international cricket in any format.
Having been released by Rajasthan Royals at the start of this year, Steve Smith is now a member of the Delhi Capitals, along with India fast bowler Umesh Yadav and Englishman Sam Billings.
Moeen Ali saw a considerable rise from his base price, the England all-rounder eventually going for a final sum of £700,000 to Chennai Super Kings.
While a premium was paid for pace bowling during the auction, the market was a little less frantic for batsmen.
Dawid Malan – who sits top of the International Cricket Council's batting rankings in the shortest format – will play for Punjab Kings, but English openers Alex Hales and Jason Roy both went unsold.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is heading back to the Kolkata Knight Riders for 3.2crore (£315,000), while Krishnappa Gowtham went for 9.25crore (£900,000) to the Super Kings, making him the most expensive uncapped India player ever.
As for Mumbai Indians, the main additions by the two-time defending champions came to their bowling attack as they added Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
The 14th edition of the IPL is scheduled to begin during April and run into May. Last year's delayed tournament was staged in the United Arab Emirates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Knight Riders won the toss and elected to field first, a decision which was proven right early as the Super Kings lost openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (0) and Devon Conway (3) in quick succession.
Despite a fighting 50 not out from former captain MS Dhoni, Chennai could only muster up 131-5 off their 20 overs.
Umesh Yadav bowled a fiery spell to finish with 2-20 from his four overs.
Narine went wicketless in his four overs while only conceding 15 runs and Russell took 1-38 from his four overs.
KKR then got through their chase with little resistance thanks to a top score of 44 from Ajinkya Rahane and solid contributions from Sam Billings (25) and Nitish Rana (21).
Captain Shreyas Iyer (20) and Sheldon Jackson (3) were at the crease when KKR got to 133-4 with nine balls to spare.
Despite the loss, Dwayne Bravo was excellent with the ball taking 3-20 from his four overs and, in the process, joining Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga at the top of the all-time IPL leading wicket-takers list with 170.
The hosts won the toss and posted a formidable 182-6 from their 20 overs thanks to 83* from Virat Kohli and 33 from Cameron Green.
Andre Russell was the pick of the KKR bowlers with 2-29 from his four overs while Harshit Rana took 2-39 and Narine took 1-40.
The Knight Riders then sprinted to their target, reaching 186-3 with 19 balls to spare.
Venkatesh Iyer led the way with a 30-ball 50 including three fours and four sixes while Narine, who opened the batting, set the tone for the innings with 47 off just 22 balls including two fours and five sixes.
Kolkata Knight Riders 186 for 3 (Venkatesh Iyer 50, Sunil Narine 47) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 182 for 6 (Virat Kohli 83*, Andre Russell 2-29, Rana 2-39) by seven wickets
First, Narine (4-21) was essential in ensuring Bangalore could only set a modest target of 138 runs as he took a match-high four wickets, and then his arrival at the crease provided KKR with direction at just the right time as they ultimately reached 139-6.
Delhi Capitals await in the next round as they prepare to tussle for the right to face Chennai Super Kings in the final, marking an incredible turnaround in KKR's fortunes after winning only two of their first seven matches prior to the season's suspension in May.
Bangalore had initially looked in good shape as Virat Kohli (39) and Devdutt Padikkal (21) helped them to 49-0 after five overs, before the latter went to Lockie Ferguson at the start of the sixth.
They did not lose another wicket until Narine's first over in the 10th as he tempted Srikar Bharat to pick out Venkatesh Iyer. The same man then accounted for captain Kohli, who misjudged a delivery when going for a slog sweep, AB de Villiers (11) and Glenn Maxwell (15) to put KKR in complete control.
Shubman Gill (29) started the chase well, but KKR hit something of a rut and were 79-3 through 11 overs when Narine came in to again turn the tide.
Three sixes from the first three legal deliveries he faced on his way to 26 set KKR on course, even if RCB forced an intriguing finish when Mohammed Siraj claimed Narine and then Dinesh Karthik (10) in the 18th over.
Seven from Eoin Morgan and Shakib Al Hasan off four balls in the final over got the job done.
Narine the double threat
This was a wonderful showing from Narine, further highlighting the surprising nature of his omission from the West Indies squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. His four wickets were twice as many as anyone else, while RCB only took 21 runs from his deliveries. He then gave KKR the kick up the backside that they needed with the bat, initially getting 23 runs from just nine balls.
Christian taken for a ride
The main difference between these sides on the day, and Kohli accepted as much afterwards, was the bowling. Dan Christian may have only bowled 1.4 overs, but that was an exceptionally expensive cameo, costing 29 runs, the joint-most of the RCB bowlers.
The Knight Riders suffered defeat to table-toppers Chennai Super Kings last time out but, thanks to the all-round efforts of Sunil Narine, hit back in a low-scoring affair to move into a playoff spot.
Delhi were restricted to 127-9 after being put in to bat. Despite Steve Smith (39) steadying the ship, with the Australian top-scoring alongside Rishabh Pant, Kolkata ripped through their opponents' batting line-up.
Narine claimed 2-18 from four economical overs, while there were also two wickets apiece for Lockie Ferguson and Venkatesh Iyer.
KKR chased down that score with relative ease in the end, albeit only after surviving a bit of a scare early on in their response.
Iyer and Rahul Tripathi departed inside the powerplay for 14 and nine respectively, though Shubman Gill (30) anchored the innings, his runs coming from 33 deliveries.
Skipper Eoin Morgan fell to Ravichandran Ashwin for a duck before Dinesh Karthik followed for 12, leaving the score at 96-5.
The loss of Narine (21) raised the prospect of late drama, but Nitish Rana (36 not out) got his side over the line for a potentially huge victory in the context of the campaign.
Hard works pays off for Narine
Narine was named player of the match after an impressive cameo of 21 off 10 balls – including two sixes and one four – to swing the contest back firmly in KKR's favour.
"Batting in the middle order is challenging," Narine said. "It's pleasing to see hard work paying off after a long time. I think we are playing some good cricket."
Khan impresses in defeat
Avesh Khan took three wickets, conceded just 13 runs and had an economy rate of 4.33 runs per over. The 24-year-old has now picked up at least one wicket in all but one game this season, though it was not enough to help Delhi find a way to prevail.
"I was really happy with our bowling performance today," losing skipper Rishabh Pant said. "But batting was pretty difficult for the new batters. Overall there isn't massive changes needed."
The Trinidadian who is a key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders had been placed on the warning list following their match against KingsXIPunjab on October 10. He was reported by onfield umpires Ulhas Gandhe and Chris Gaffaney in relation to a delivery he delivered during the last over of the match that KKR won by two runs.
However, in a statement on Sunday the IPL said Narine’s action had been assessed by the IPL Suspect Bowling Action Committee and it was determined that the mystery bowler was within the prescribed limits.
"The Committee carefully reviewed all the deliveries of action footage sent of Mr Narine with the naked eye and has come to the conclusion that the elbow-bend appears to be within the range of permissible limits," the IPL statement said.
Cricket West Indies had said that they had planned to monitor Narine's progress as the player is being considered for West Indies selection.
The Trinidadian left-hander hit 13 fours and six sixes on his way to a brilliant 109 off just 56 balls to propel KKR to 223-6 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Royals.
Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rinku Singh provided good support for Narine with 30 and 20*, respectively.
Pacer Avesh Khan was the best bowler on the day for Rajasthan with 2-35 from his four overs.
Jos Buttler then produced his second hundred of the season to help the Royals pull off the highest chase in IPL history.
The Englishman made 107* off 60 balls including nine fours and six sixes to help the Royals reach 224-8 off 20 overs.
It was a herculean effort from Buttler who scored the last 46 runs for the Royals.
Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell provided the most support with Buttler with 34 and 26, respectively. Most importantly, Parag’s innings lasted 14 balls and Powell’s lasted 13 balls.
Narine completed a good all-round performance with 2-30 from his four overs with the ball.
Full Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 223-6 from 20 overs (Sunil Narine 109, Angkrish Raghuvanshi 30, Avesh Khan 2-35, Kuldeep Sen 2-46)
Rajasthan Royals 224-8 off 20 overs (Jos Buttler 107*, Riyan Parag 34, Rovman Powell 26, Sunil Narine 2-30, Varun Chakravarthy 2-36, Harshit Rana 2-45).
Pooran went to the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise for 10.75 crore (USD 1.43 million).
The Sunrisers will be his third IPL franchise after previously representing the Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings.
Jason Holder, formerly of the Sunrisers, will be suiting up for the new Lucknow Super Giants after being snapped up for 8.5 crore (USD 1.16 million).
Dwayne Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer were the only other West Indians sold on day 1 to the Chennai Super Kings for 4.4 crore (USD 583,953.04) and the Rajasthan Royals for 8.5 crore, respectively.
Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and West Indies white-ball captain Kieron Pollard were all retained by their respective franchises before the auction.
Indian left-hander Ishan Kishan had the honour of being the most expensive pick-up of this year’s auction after going to the Mumbai Indians for 15.25 crore (USD 2.03 million).
Day 2 of the auction takes place on Sunday.
After KKR won the toss and elected to field first, LSG, propelled by an aggressive 58 from Pooran, posted 176-8 off their 20 overs.
Pooran’s knock came off just 30 balls and included four fours and five sixes. He was well supported by Quinton De Kock (28) and Prerak Mankad (27).
Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur and Vaibhav Arora all took two wickets, each, for the Knight Riders.
Then, despite a fighting 67* from Rinku Singh and 45 from Jason Roy, KKR finished their reply 175-7 off 20 overs, falling agonizingly short of the win.
Ravi Bishnoi led the way with the ball for Lucknow with 2-13 from his four overs while Yash Thakur also took a pair of wickets.
Chasing 166 to win, captain KL Rahul (67 runs from 55 balls) took Punjab to the brink of a vital victory only to fall in the final over, leaving them needing four from as many balls.
Shahrukh Khan (22 from nine) then looked like he had been caught in the deep off the next delivery, only for Rahul Tripathi to drop the ball over the boundary for a six, ending the contest.
That thrilling finale came after a run chase that Punjab had long looked to have under control, with Mayank Agarwal (40 from 27) also making a key contribution.
KKR had earlier managed 165-7 after being put in to bat, with Venkatesh Iyer scoring 67 off 49 to give his side a chance.
Instead, Punjab's successful chase means they join KKR and Mumbai Indians on 10 points in a competitive battle to achieve a top-four place.
No Gayle, no problem for Kings
Chris Gayle leaving the IPL due to bubble fatigue was a blow for the Kings, but they were still able to get the win they desperately needed here.
Rahul, who had two maximums, anchored the innings and would have been disappointed not to have finished the chase himself. Still, he can reflect on a job well done while sitting as the competition's leading run scorer with 489, this being his fifth fifty in 11 matches.
KKR fail to build on Iyer platform
With Andre Russell out injured, it was Iyer who did the damage with the bat for KKR, his 72-run partnership with Tripathi for the second wicket setting an impressive platform.
However, KKR did not take full advantage and, having reached 120-2, they struggled. After Iyer's dismissal, Nitish Rana (31 off 18) was the only batter able to accelerate the rate.
Rahane knocked an impressive 71 from just 29 balls - including five sixes - while Devon Conway and Shivam Dube also brought up 50 as the Kings recorded their third straight victory at Eden Gardens.
After the Knight Riders elected to bowl, Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad ensured a steady start for the Kings, who were 59-0 at the end of the Powerplay.
Suyash Sharma eventually broke the stand when he bowled Gaikwad for 35, but Conway and Rahane kept the Kings on track - the former bringing up the half-century off 34 balls.
Varun Chakaravarthy eventually claimed Conway for 59, but the Rahane-Dube partnership chalked up a combined 85 off 32 balls.
Kulwant Khejroliya eventually bowled Dube and Ravindra Jadeja, but Rahane was unbeaten as the Kings finished at 235-4.
But the Knight Riders' record chase stalled early on as they lost Sunil Narine and Jagadeesan Narayan inside the opening two overs.
Jason Roy boosted their quest with three successive sixes from Moeen Ali on his way to reaching 50 off just 19 balls, before eventually falling to Maheesh Theekshana for 61 (off 26).
Singh embarked on a late rally with an unbeaten 55 from 33 balls, but it proved academic as the Knight Riders fell short at 186/8 and suffered their fourth successive defeat.
Rahane leads the way
Rahane played an instrumental role in moving the Super Kings to the IPL summit. The former India captain top-scored with a quickfire 71 from just 29 balls.
Forming solid partnerships alongside Conway and Dube, he hit 11 boundaries during his impressive stand, including five stunning sixes.
Another 50 for Conway
The form of Conway has been pivotal in his side's impressive streak of form. Indeed, he has now scored a half-century in each of the Super Kings' last four victories.
Taking his tally of runs in this season's IPL to 314, Conway is second to only Faf du Plessis (405), who is also the only player to better his number of half-centuries in the competition (five).
Rana made an impressive 80 from 56 deliveries, hitting nine fours and four sixes as the Knight Riders posted 187-6 after being put in at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Rahul Tripathi helped add 93 for the second wicket, his innings of 53 seeing him surpass 1,000 career runs in the competition.
Having crashed their way to 145-1 after 15 overs, Kolkata lost four wickets for 14 runs in trying to lift the run-rate even higher, including two in as many deliveries during a Mohammad Nabi over.
However, it was Nabi’s Afghanistan team-mate Rashid Khan who was the pick of the Hyderabad attack, taking 2-24 from four overs.
Dinesh Karthik produced a late cameo – he hit 22 not out from nine balls – to hurt Sunrisers, who then slipped to 10-2 early in their reply as openers David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha fell cheaply.
Jonny Bairstow and Manish Pandey both made half-centuries to lift their team after the early setbacks, yet an ever-increasing required rate proved too much for the middle order to manage.
Knight Riders make fast start
Rana's 12th IPL half-century came to an end when he departed to Nabi, who then tempted Knight Riders captain Eoin Morgan to loft the next ball straight to Abdul Samad at deep backward square leg.
Having lost Andre Russell cheaply in the previous over too, the clatter of wickets ended any hopes that Kolkata - who missed the play-offs last season after finishing fifth in the round-robin stage – may have had of making it to 200 and beyond.
Jonny be good but Sunrisers come up short
Bairstow was utilised at number four in the batting order - a position he also occupied for England in the recent Twenty20 series against India. At the crease after just 13 deliveries, the right-hander's clean hitting kept Hyderabad's hopes alive as he made 55 from 40 balls.
Pandey ended up unbeaten on 61 - including hitting the final ball of the game for six - while Samad slammed 19 not out from just eight deliveries at the end, raising questions over why he did not come in earlier in the run chase.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, the Kings posted 179-7 off their 20 overs thanks to a top-score of 57 off 47 balls from captain Shikhar Dhawan.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy led the way with 3-26 from his four overs while pacer Harshit Rana took 2-33 from three overs for the Knight Riders.
In reply, captain Nitish Rana made a 38 ball 51 while Andre Russell contributed 42 and Jason Roy 38 as the Knight Riders successfully reached 182-5 off their 20 overs.
Russell’s knock came off just 23 balls and included a 20-run penultimate over leaving the Knight Riders needing six to win off the last over.
The Jamaican fell off the penultimate ball of the match with KKR needing two to win before Rinku Singh, who finished 21* off 10 balls, hit the final ball bowled by Arshdeep Singh for four to seal the win.
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar took 2-23 off his four overs for Punjab.
The opener played a blinding captain's innings with his knock at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi coming off just 54 deliveries.
Rohit put on 90 runs with Suryakumar Yadav (47) for a second-wicket stand that frustrated the Knight Riders, who at least restricted Mumbai under 200.
Saurabh Tiwary (21) and Hardik Pandya (18) added valuable runs in a total of 195-5 that Kolkata never got near.
The impressive Jasprit Bumrah (2-32) dismissed Kolkata danger men Andre Russell (11) and Eoin Morgan (16) before they even got going.
Kolkata eventually posted 146-9 in reply, some way short of their target to start their campaign with a defeat, while Mumbai rebounded from an opening loss to Chennai Super Kings.
YOU SIXY THING, ROHIT
Rohit's knock included six sixes and three fours, with the unfortunate Kuldeep Yadav smacked straight over the ropes twice in the 14th over.
He now has 200 maximums in the IPL, 12 shy of MS Dhoni in third place on the all-time list, but still 126 short of leader Chris Gayle.
BUMRAH DOES THE BUSINESS
Trent Boult, James Pattinson and Rahul Chahar each also finished with two wickets in an all-round effort from Mumbai's bowling team.
Russell and Morgan were well capable of getting Kolkata, who had slipped to 77-4, back into the match but Bumrah broke up a potentially dangerous partnership in the 16th over.
Bumrah knocked back Russell's leg stump before Morgan edged behind, leaving Mumbai to close on a first victory in the UAE from six attempts.
Powell's Rajasthan Royals clinched a thrilling victory over Narine's Kolkata Knight Riders by two wickets at Eden Gardens on Tuesday, but it was Narine's exceptional century that captured attention and reignited discussions about his international comeback.
Just days ago, Narine had been adamant about watching the T20 World Cup from home after announcing his retirement from international cricket in November 2023. However, his post-match remarks on Tuesday hinted at a potential change of heart.
"It is what it is, but let's see what the future holds," Narine stated when asked about reconsidering his retirement decision after his stellar performance.
Powell, determined to sway Narine's decision, disclosed his ongoing efforts to convince the seasoned cricketer to return to the West Indies squad.
"For the last 12 months, I've been whispering in his ears, but he's blocked out everyone," Powell revealed. "I've asked Pollard, Bravo, Pooran. Hopefully, before they select the team, they can crack his code," Powell revealed.
Powell's persistence underscores the value Narine could bring to the West Indies team, especially in a high-stakes tournament like the T20 World Cup. Narine's experience, coupled with his remarkable skills showcased in domestic leagues, makes him an enticing prospect for Powell and other team selectors.
As Powell and his counterparts continue to advocate for Narine's return, cricket fans eagerly await Narine's final decision, which could have significant implications for the West Indies' T20 World Cup campaign. Will Narine heed Powell's call and make a dramatic comeback to international cricket? Only time will tell as the tournament approaches and team selections are finalized.
RCB looked like they might be able to chase down their target of 201 after Virat Kohli (54) threatened to outdo Roy, but once wickets started to fall the hosts ran out of steam quickly.
Roy brought up his 50 from just 22 balls, while Narayan Jagadeesan (27) played a supporting role, but the latter became the first wicket to fall as he tried to hit Vijaykumar Vyshak for six, instead finding David Willey for a simple catch on the boundary.
Vyshak (2-41) then clattered the leg stump of Roy in the same over to give RCB another boost as they looked to get back in to the game.
Captain Nitish Rana (48 from 21 balls) was dropped twice and made RCB pay as he blitzed some boundaries, before finally being caught well by Vyshak off the bowling of Wanindu Hasaranga (2-24).
Venkatesh Iyer (31) was also gone just two balls later after hitting one straight up in the air for Glenn Maxwell to take, while Mohammed Siraj bowled Andre Russell for just one in the penultimate over.
Rinku Singh (18 not out) and David Wiese (12no) added some welcome late boundaries to the end of the innings and set a target just beyond 200, but the reply started well for RCB.
Kohli and Faf Du Plessis (17) hit 30 from the first two overs, though the South African was out in the third as he hit Suyash Sharma to Rinku at long-on.
Suyash (2-30) had another soon after when he trapped Shahbaz Ahmed (2) lbw, and Maxwell (5) was not far behind as he hit a soft shot off Varun Chakravarthy straight to Wiese.
Mahipal Lomror was nicely dovetailing with Kohli as he knocked 34 from 18 balls before finding Russell's safe hands on the boundary as he tried to slog Chakravarthy (3-27).
Hope seemed to be over for the hosts when Kohli hit Russell to deep mid-wicket, only for Venkatesh to take the catch, while Suyash Prabhudessai (10) was run out and Hasaranga added just five before departing.
Once Dinesh Karthik has fallen to Chakravarthy for 22, the writing was on the wall as the Knight Riders clinched just their third win of the season.
Roy wracks up runs
England batter Roy struck 56 to bring up his fourth 50+ score in the IPL; and has now scored 160 runs so far in this, his fourth season, his highest of any prior IPL campaign.
Roy hit four fours and five sixes on Wednesday, with no other batter on either team hitting as many maximums.
Kohli notches another 50
The RCB captain was not quite as explosive as Roy, taking 37 balls to make his 54 and not hitting any sixes (six fours), but Kohli still set the table for what could have been a decent stab at reaching 201 for his team, though it fizzled out fairly rapidly.
This was his fifth 50+ score of the season, the joint-most of any batter (with team-mate Du Plessis), while it was his 54th 50+ score in the competition's history, second to only David Warner (63).
The England opener has signed up on a deal worth approximately INR 2.8 crore (£275,000), up on his pre-season auction price of INR 1.5 crore (£147,000).
Roy's return to the IPL comes amid a minor player crisis for KKR, who have lost India's Iyer to a back injury, as well as Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
Though English players are typically not allowed to sign after the start of March, those on ECB contracts are an exemption to the rule, allowing his move.
The Surrey batter last played in 2021, scoring 150 runs in five games for Sunrisers Hyderabad, and will hope to maintain his strong white-ball start to 2023.
With 245 runs in seven games for Quetta Gladiators during the Pakistan Super League, Roy also posted the tournament's highest individual tally, with 145 not out.
A member of the England team that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he was dropped from their 2022 T20 World Cup-winning squad.
Ahead of his side's 50-over defence in India later this year, the 32-year-old will be hopeful he can use his time with KKR to consolidate his spot in the squad.
Roy's return to the IPL may come too soon to feature in his new team's next match, which is against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Thursday.
However, he could be included for their trip to face defending champions Gujarat Titans on Sunday, as KKR look to bounce back from an opening loss against Punjab Kings.
