In a performance that was equal parts artistry, grit, and tactical brilliance, Sunil Narine once again proved why he remains one of the most impactful players in T20 cricket, as he delivered a Player-of-the-Match performance that lifted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a 14-run win over Delhi Capitals in a tense Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.

Narine’s fingerprints were all over the contest—batting, bowling, fielding, and captaincy—as KKR kept their playoff hopes flickering in what has been a rollercoaster IPL campaign. Narine first contributed a 16-ball 27, including two fours and two sixes, to assist KKR to a competitive 204-9 from their allotment, and he later returned to bag 3-29, took a catch, and executed a run-out as Delhi Capitals were restricted to 190-9.

Opening the innings, Narine set the tone early in a 48-run opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz that punished Delhi’s wayward bowling. His cameo helped KKR to 91 runs in just seven overs, which serves as their best start of the season, though they lost three wickets in the process.

Despite losing Narine, who fell to a clever delivery from Vipraj Nigam, Gurbaz (26) and Ajinka Rahane (26), KKR kept their foot on the gas through Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who struck 44 off 32 balls, and Rinku Singh's 25-ball 36, as they added 61 runs for the fifth wicket. Raghuvanshi's innings featured three fours and two sixes, while Singh slammed three fours and a six in his knock.

Sunil Narine plays a shot. (Photos: BCCI)

After both fell, brief cameos from West Indians Andre Russell, who had 17 off nine balls, and Rovman Powell (five off five) helped push KKR to 204-9, a total that looked slightly undercooked considering the blistering start.

Mitchell Starc was the pick of the Capitals bowlers with 3-43, with support from Axar Patel (2-41) and Vipraj Nigam (2-27).

With captain Ajinkya Rahane off the field nursing a split finger and vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer already substituted, Narine found himself leading the side in the second innings, and he embraced the responsibility with strategic precision.

Delhi Capitals were in the ascendancy in their chase at one stage, as Faf du Plessis led the way with 62 off 45 balls alongside Axar Patel, who struck 43 off 23 balls, to take apart KKR’s premier spinners. At one point, Narine's figures read 2.1-0-25-0, and Varun Chakravarthy was also being carted around.

But the narrative flipped in a matter of minutes.

Narine and teammates celebrate.

First, Narine had Axar caught at cover after he attempted one too many big shots. Then came the crucial breakthrough of Stubbs (one) and the prized wicket of Du Plessis, who holed out after being tied down by spin. Suddenly, Delhi had collapsed from 136-4 to 160-7.

However, Narine’s impact was not limited to the ball. In the field, he pulled off a sharp run out of KL Rahul (seven) with a direct hit from short fine leg and also took a catch to dismiss Ashutosh Sharma (seven). He handed the ball back to a struggling Varun Chakravarthy at a key moment, and the leg-spinner responded with two wickets in the 18th over, including Mitchell Starc (zero), to put the game beyond Delhi’s reach.

Chakravarthy had 2-39, and Russell ended with 1-22.

The win took KKR to nine points from 10 games and kept them within touching distance of the playoff places. Delhi, despite the loss, remain in fourth on 12 points.