Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran showcased his batting prowess on Sunday with a spirited 32-ball 45 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match, but his efforts ultimately ended in vain as his side succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat.

Despite Lucknow's loss, Pooran's aggressive innings stood out as he struck four sixes and two fours to provide a much-needed boost to his team's total. His performance, coming in at number six, helped Lucknow Super Giants post a competitive score of 161 for 7.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Mitchell Starc proved to be a significant obstacle for Lucknow, claiming three crucial wickets for 28 runs, including that of Pooran in the final over. Starc's exceptional bowling performance played a pivotal role in restricting Lucknow's run-scoring capabilities in the latter stages of the innings.

Starc got support from Sunil Narine, who failed with the bat, only making six, but bowled well, picking up 1-17 from his quota of overs. Andre Russell was expensive conceding 16 runs but also taking a wicket in the emphatic victory.

Lucknow's hopes were further dashed as Kolkata Knight Riders' Phil Salt dominated the chase with an unbeaten 89 off 47 balls, steering his team to victory with ease. Salt's aggressive batting display, combined with a composed innings of 38 not out from Shreyas Iyer, propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to their target with eight wickets in hand.

In a riveting clash at the Indian Premier League, Kolkata Knight Riders displayed an unparalleled batting spectacle that nearly eclipsed the record set just a week ago by Sunrisers Hyderabad. With a blistering onslaught led by Sunil Narine's career-best 85, Kolkata Knight Riders left the Delhi Capitals in awe with a monumental score of 272 for 7, falling just short of rewriting history by breaking the highest IPL score record.

Narine's ferocious innings, peppered with seven fours and as many towering sixes, set the stage on fire as he found an able partner in the form of Angkrish Raghuvanshi. The young talent showcased his mettle with a scintillating 54 off 27 balls, matching Narine blow for blow. Together, they formed a formidable partnership that laid waste to the Capitals' bowling attack.

But the onslaught didn't stop there. Andre Russell, with his trademark power-hitting, unleashed havoc upon the Capitals' bowlers, plundering 41 runs in just 19 deliveries. However, a searing yorker from Ishant Sharma in the final over denied Kolkata Knight Riders the chance to etch their name in the history books by surpassing the highest IPL score.

Despite falling short of the record, Kolkata Knight Riders' colossal total proved insurmountable for the Delhi Capitals, as they succumbed to a crushing defeat by a mammoth margin of 106 runs. With this victory, Kolkata Knight Riders soared to the top of the table, joining Rajasthan Royals with three wins from three matches, solidifying their position as serious title contenders in the IPL.

The Capitals, despite a valiant effort from their batsmen, including notable half-centuries from Rishabh Pant and Tristan Stubbs, found themselves outclassed by the Knight Riders' clinical performance. Vaibhav Arora emerged as the hero for Kolkata Knight Riders with a stellar bowling display, claiming three crucial wickets for a mere 27 runs, further sealing the Capitals' fate.

As the dust settled on the electrifying encounter, Kolkata Knight Riders celebrated their third consecutive win in the tournament, marking the first time in their history that they had started a season with three victories in three matches. With their batsmen firing on all cylinders and their bowlers delivering under pressure, Kolkata Knight Riders sent a clear message to their competitors: they were a force to be reckoned with in the race for the IPL title.

Sunil Narine produced a man of the match performance in his 500^th T20 game to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders to a seven-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Tata Indian Premier League at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.

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

In a thrilling turn of events at the 2024 draft of The Hundred, five West Indies power-hitting batters clinched top-bracket contracts, setting the stage for an electrifying season ahead. The draft, held on Wednesday, saw these dynamic players securing lucrative deals worth £125,000 each, promising an explosive display of cricketing prowess when the latest season of The Hundred kicks off on July 23.

The Northern Superchargers made the headlines by selecting Nicholas Pooran as their first pick, highlighting the team's strategic focus on acquiring top-tier talent. Pooran's exceptional batting prowess and aggressive style make him a formidable force on the field, adding depth and flair to the Superchargers' lineup.

London Spirit secured the services of two West Indian powerhouses, with Andre Russell and Shimron Hetmyer joining their ranks. Known for their ability to smash boundaries with ease, Russell and Hetmyer are expected to bring an exciting brand of cricket to the Spirit camp, captivating fans with their explosive stroke play.

Meanwhile, Southern Brave strengthened their batting lineup by acquiring the services of Kieron Pollard, adding the experienced all-rounder's firepower to their arsenal. Pollard's ability to turn the game on its head with his big-hitting prowess makes him a valuable asset for the Brave as they aim for glory in The Hundred.

Rovman Powell emerged as a top pick for Trent Rockets, further solidifying the West Indian presence in the tournament. Powell's aggressive batting style and knack for scoring quick runs make him a perfect fit for the Rockets' lineup, providing the team with a dynamic middle-order batsman capable of changing the course of a game single-handedly.

While the draft brought joy to these five West Indian stars, there was disappointment for Trinidad and Tobago's mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who went undrafted. Despite his absence from the draft, Narine remains a formidable force in the world of cricket, with his unique bowling skills and all-round abilities.

The Comilla Victorians and Fortune Barishal will lock horns to determine the champion of the 2024 Bangladesh Premier League at the Shere-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

The Victorians, home of West Indians Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Johnson Charles, will be looking for their third BPL title in a row and fifth overall while Barishal, home of Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy and Yannic Cariah, will be seeking their first BPL crown.

Comilla finished second on the final points table in the league phase and got to the final on the back of a six-wicket win over the Rangpur Riders in Qualifier 1 on Monday.

Barishal, who finished third on the points table, got a seven-wicket win over the Chattogram Challengers in the Eliminator on Monday before upsetting the Riders with a six-wicket win in Qualifier 2 on Wednesday.

The final is expected to be an exciting affair as both teams have registered wins over each other this season.

They first met on January 23 with the Victorians winning by four wickets before, a month later, Barishal registered a six-wicket win.

Individually, the two finalists boast the top two run scorers in this season’s edition of the BPL.

Fortune Barishal will be looking for a big contribution from opener Tamim Iqbal who currently leads the run-scoring chart with 453 runs from 14 innings at a strike rate of 125.48 including three fifties.

Second on that list in Comilla’s Towhid Hridoy with 447 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 149.49 including a hundred and a pair of fifties.

Comilla’s Litton Das (375 runs from 13 innings) and Barishal’s Mushfiqur Rahim (367 runs from 14 innings) are also among the top five run getters this season and will be looking to score big in Friday’s final.

As for the bowling side, medium pacer Mohammad Saifuddin has taken 14 wickets at an average of 14.14 for Barishal while left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam has picked up 13 wickets in 12 matches for the Victorians.

Off-spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz and West Indian left-arm quick Obed McCoy have also been in good form for Barishal with 11 wickets each.

A miserly spell of bowling from Sunil Narine was not enough to prevent the Comilla Victorians from going down by 12 runs to the Sylhet Sixers in the Bangladesh Premier League on Monday.

Narine starred with 2-16 from his four overs to help the Victorians restrict the Sixers to 177-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss and choosing to bat at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram.

Rishad Hossain also took a pair of wickets for the Victorians but was expensive, going for 37 in his three overs.

English all-rounder Benny Howell led the way for Sylhet with a 31-ball 62 including six fours and four sixes while the hard-hitting Kennar Lewis made 33 off 25 balls at the top of the innings.

Then, despite 85 from Captain and wicket-keeper Litton Das, the Victorians were held to 165-6 off their 20 overs.

Andre Russell also tried his best with 23 off 14 balls but a crucial spell of bowling from Tanzim Hasan Sakib was too much for Comilla to overcome in the end.

He was relatively expensive, going for 33 in three overs, but took three wickets in the process.

Samit Patel and Shafiqul Islam were more economical in their four-over spells, taking figures of 1-15 and 1-18, respectively.

Comilla still sits second in the points standings despite the loss with 14 points from 10 games while the Sixers are still sixth in the seven-team table with eight points from 11 outings.

Deccan Gladiators' hopes of a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi T10 titles were dashed by New York Strikers, who put in a fantastic bowling display led by Sunil Narine in the final to romp home by seven wickets with four balls in hand on Saturday.

Big scores had gone down as the tournament wore on, but Gladiators' 91 for 5 after being sent in appeared insufficient for the big occasion. It proved to be exactly that, despite Strikers being 7 for 2 in 1.1 overs, with openers Muhammad Waseem and Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed cheaply.

Niroshan Dickwella and Asif Ali, the Player of the Match, put the innings back on track, before Dickwella was sent back by Andre Russell for a 12-ball 14. From there on, it was all about Asif and captain Kieron Pollard, who put up 56 runs together without much scoreboard pressure to weigh them down.

Asif scored 48 not out in 25 balls with two fours and four sixes, and Pollard chipped in with 22 not out in 13, with a four and six, as Strikers won the title.

The win was set up by the bowlers, though. Gladiators had a decent opening stand of 28 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Nicholas Pooran, the No. 1 and No. 3 on the tournament run-scorers' list, but Narine broke through in the third over with Kohler-Cadmore's wicket for a seven-ball 13. Pooran fell to George Scrimshaw two balls later, and Gladiators were suddenly 28 for 2, which became 36 for 3, 41 for 4, and 57 for 5 after 7.1 overs, with Narine returning 2 for 6 from his two overs without conceding a single boundary.

Russell, who finished with an unbeaten 30 from 18 balls with two fours and two sixes, and David Wiese, 20 not out from 11, with a four and two sixes, completed the innings with some momentum, but it was too few for Gladiators to defend on the night.

The Deccan Gladiators opened the seventh season of the Abu Dhabi T10 League with a 22-run win over the New York Strikers at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

The Gladiators, champions of the last two editions of the tournament, posted 118-8 from their ten overs after being put in to bat by the Strikers.

Englishman Tom Kohler-Cadmore led the way for the Gladiators with 68 off 33 balls including four fours and six sixes while Andre Russell hit 17 off nine balls in support. Captain Nicholas Pooran (1), Andre Fletcher (2) and Fabian Allen (0) all failed to make significant contributions with the bat.

Sri Lankan Chamika Karunaratne took 3-25 from his two overs.

The Strikers were then reduced to 96-6 from their ten overs in reply.

Muhammad Waseem (26) and Asif Ali (24) were the main scorers for New York as Zahoor Khan bowled beautifully to finish with 2-12 from his two overs.

Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody has stated that Gautam Gambhir was pivotal in Kolkata Knight Riders retaining Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League.

Gambhir has returned to the IPL franchise as a mentor for the 2024 IPL season.

KKR on Sunday retained Russell and Narine along with Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Sunil Narine, Suyash Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer.

Russell joined KKR in 2014, while Narine joined in 2012 and both have been mainstays in the team since then.

“They both have been phenomenal cricketers for KKR. I feel that Gambhir has been quite pivotal in the retention of Russell and Narine. Gambhir understands them, he’s played with them, he’s captained them and he’ll be able to get the best out of them,” said Moody to ESPNCricinfo.

However, Moody also revealed their hesitation regarding Russell’s physical condition instead of his performance. Russell scored 227 runs in 14 matches while picking seven wickets for KKR in IPL 2023.

“I think we’ll see a different outcome in 2024 with regards to what Russell brings to the table. The only hesitation I have is not skill. It’s whether he can hold together physically because we’ve seen him break down on a couple of occasions over recent years and it’s been quite alarming. His bowling has been pretty limited as well, and they haven’t had the access to his full quota of overs,” Moody added.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) thanked Sunil Narine for his service to West Indies cricket during his international career. The talented spin bowler announced his retirement from international and regional List A cricket on Sunday, ahead of the final preliminary match for Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in the CG United Super50 Cup.

The 35-year-old made his debut for West Indies in India in 2011 and his last appearance was also against India in Guyana in 2019. He played in West Indies colours in 122 matches, which included 6 Tests, 65 appearances in One-Day International (ODI) and 51 in T20 International (T20I) cricket.

He was a member of the West Indies team which won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2012 when they beat Sri Lanka at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. He played a crucial role with the ball in the victory, with three wickets as West Indies won by 36 runs. 

Narine represented the West Indies in all three formats. He played six Tests and took 21 wickets with best bowling figures of 6-91 against New Zealand in Hamilton. In 65 One-Day Internationals he took 92 wickets including a best of 6-27 vs South Africa in Guyana in 2016. He also took 52 wickets in 51 T20 Internationals, with best returns of 4-12 against New Zealand in Fort Lauderdale in 2012 to help secure the series victory.

CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe said: “On behalf of CWI I would like to thank Sunil Narine for his contribution to West Indies during his time on the international stage. He was the kind of bowler who excited fans and brought them to the game. He was the ‘X’ factor in the West Indies bowling attack and produced some amazing spells. When at his best he ranked among the very best in the modern era. We all remember the magical bowling performance in Sri Lanka, when he helped the West Indies to their first T20 World Cup title. As he continues his playing career, we wish him more success.”

Narine is in the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force squad for the first Semi-Final of the CG United 50 Cup to be played on Wednesday 8 November at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy and he may therefore make his final List A appearance on Saturday 11 November in the Final. The Semi-Finals and Final will be live on ESPN Caribbean.

A brilliant unbeaten century from Darren Bravo and incisive spin bowling from Sunil Narine and Akeal Hosein were key factors in the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force’s emphatic 78-run victory over the Barbados Pride in their CG United Insurance Super50 match at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba on Sunday.

Chasing 294 for victory, Barbados were bowled out for 215 in 47.2 overs.

Bravo’s 139 not out that included nine fours and seven majestic sixes, was the foundation on which Trinidad and Tobago built their score of 293 for 6 from their 50 overs. Opener Kjorn Ottley and Tion Webster made invaluable contributions with scores of 36 and 28, respectively, but the bulk of the runs came from Bravo’s bat as no other batter got past 20 runs against the Barbados bowling attack.

Roston Chase was the best of the Barbados bowlers taking 3-50 from his 10 overs while Kemar Smith took 2-46.

Needing 294 for victory, Barbados never really got going. Their batters were beguiled at first by Hosein who dismissed Kyle Mayers for 12 and Zachary McCaskie for 19.  He also dismissed the dangerous Shai Hope for just 18 to finish with figures of 3-31.

Shannon Gabriel had Shamarh Brooks out caught for 33 before Narine took over snaring the wickets of Chase for 48, Roshon Primus for one, Kemar Smith without scoring and Dominic Drakes for nine to return the impressive figures of 4-13 from his 10 overs.

Akeem Jordan in partnership with Jomel Warrican played an entertaining cameo bludgeoning Trinidad’s bowlers for four fours and three sixes before he was bowled by Khary Pierre for a well-played 40 from 47 balls.

Yanic Cariah put the cap on the proceedings when he dismissed Jair McAllister for one, leaving Warrican not out on 19 in the end.

 Sunil Narine is retiring from international cricket. The Trinidadian mystery spinner announced an end to his eight-year international career on Instagram on Sunday.

"I appreciate it has been over four years since I last played for West Indies but today I am announcing my retirement from international cricket," said the 35-year-old Narine who last played for the West Indies in 2019.

“Publicly I am a man of few words but privately there are a few people who have given me unwavering support throughout my career and helped me realize my dream of representing West Indies and to you I express my deepest gratitude."

Notwithstanding the announcement, Narine said he will end his international career by winning the ongoing Super50 league for the Trinbago Red Force. "I love representing Trinidad & Tobago, the country of my birth, and to add another title by winning the Super50 Cup will be the perfect send-off," he said.

Narine played 122 international matches, which included six Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is and was a member of the West Indies team that won the T20 World Cup in 2012. He has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League since 2012.

He will continue to play for KKR in the IPL, Abu Dhabi in the International League T20, Trinbago in the Caribbean Premier League and Los Angeles in Major League Cricket. He is also part of the Hundred men's competition with Oval Invincibles and also plays in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League.

A superb all-round performance from Yanic Cariah inspired Trinidad and Tobago Red Force to a three-wicket victory over the Leeward Islands Hurricanes in their CG United Insurance Super50 Cup encounter at the Brian Lara Academy on Thursday.

Cariah took five wickets in the Leewards’ innings of 198 and then scored an unbeaten 45 as Trinidad and Tobago reached their target of 199 for the loss of seven wickets but with 26 balls to spare.

Batting first, Leewards got solid starts from their openers Kieran Powell and Justin Greaves. Powell would make 75 from just 48 balls with five fours and six sixes while Greaves compiled 58 from 71 balls. However, it would all fall apart soon thereafter.

Cariah dismissed both openers and the rest of the batting offered little resistance. Jahmar Hamilton (18) and Hayden Walsh Jr (15) were the only other batters in double figures as Cariah finished with the admirable figures of 5-48 from his 10 overs.

 Sunil Narine took 3-30 while Terrance Hinds claimed 2-24 from his four overs as Leewards collapsed to 198 all out in 37.2 overs.

Trinidad lost three wickets early to the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, who took 3-45 and when Kofi James dismissed Kjorn Ottley for nine, Trinidad were in a spot of bother. However, Jason Mohammed helped cauterize the rot with 41, despite Walsh’s bowling efforts which saw him take 3-32.

Cariah’s patient knock of 45 not out from 102 balls put Trinidad back on a path to victory and he got help from Hinds, who scored a solid 21 and Narine who smashed 33 from just 16 balls to get the Red Force over the line in 45.4 overs.

Yannic Cariah produced a stellar all-round display which handed Trinidad and Tobago Red Force their second win of the CG United Super50 Cup campaign, as they bettered Guyana Harpy Eagles by 114 runs at the Brian Lara Stadium on Saturday.

The 31-year-old left-hand batsman stamped his authority on the Harpy Eagles bowlers with a solid unbeaten 48-ball 71, which included seven fours and two sixes. And almost like rubbing salt in the opponent’s wounds, Cariah returned to grab five wickets for a mere 34 runs in five overs to restrict Harpy Eagles to 176 in reply to Red Force’s 290.

Captain Darren Bravo continued his good form with another half-century knock of 51 off 60 balls, while Kjorn Ottley, stroked 52 of 57 deliveries in the Red Force’s daunting total.

Scores: Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 290-8 (50 overs); Guyana Harpy Eagles 176 all out (34 overs)

Sent in to bat, Red Force relished the conditions. Though they lost Evin Lewis (16) in the fifth over with the score at 27-1, wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva (27) and Ottley, who had six boundaries and one six in his knock, added 64 for the second wicket.

Ottley was the first to go, caught by Gudakesh Motie off Veerasammy Permaul and Da Silva followed soon after, leaving Bravo and Jason Mohammed (26) to post another 58 runs for the fourth wicket.

Bravo, who had six fours in his innings went caught off Sherfane Rutherford and Mohammed stuck with Cariah in a 45-run fifth-wicket stand before the former was undone by Motie.

Still, Cariah remained aggressive and with small contributions from those in the lower order, saw Red Force to their match-winning total.

Romario Shepherd (2-43) and Sherfane Rutherford (2-55), were the pick of the Harpy Eagles bowling.

Guyana’s response started positively, but was never allowed to bear fruit, as Jayden Seales, Akeal Hosein, Sunil Narine and Terrance Hinds combined to remove Tagenarine Chanderpaul (19), Chandrapaul Hemraj (21), Tevin Imlach (26) and Shimron Hetmyer (24), with an even 100 runs on the board in the 17th over.

From there, it was left for Cariah, bowling his leg spin, to mop up the remaining batsmen of which only Rutherford (30) and Kevin Sinclair (20), offered any real resistance to the onslaught. Narine had the next best Red Force figures of 2-18.

Action in the tournament continues on Sunday with Windward Islands Volcanoes crossing swords with Combined Campuses and Colleges at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground.

A dominant display with both bat and ball saw Trinbago Knight Riders register a record 133-run win over Barbados Royals in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Kensington Oval on Wednesday. 

Barbados Royals, captained by Rovman Powell, won the toss and opted to field first, and it seemed a good decision, as they initially had Trinbago Knight Riders at 69-2 inside 10 overs, before a fantastic 108-run third wicket stand between Martin Guptill and captain Kieron Pollard fired the Knight Riders to their daunting total of 194-5.

Guptill, whose last half-century in the CPL was back in 2018 against the Tallawahs, came good on the night with a 58-ball unbeaten century, while Pollard contributed 46 off 32 balls. Jason Holder was the pick of the Royals bowling with 2-39 from his four overs.

The Royals's reply was derailed by Andre Russell, who grabbed three quick wickets in the powerplay -Rahkeem Cornwall (zero), Kyle Mayers (zero) and Alick Athanaze (two) -while Sunil Narine accounted for Laurie Evans (five) and the host were unable to recover from the early demolition. They were eventually bowled out for 61 in 12.1 overs, succumbing to the largest defeat in CPL history.

Afghan left-arm wrist spinner Waqar Salamkheil introduced himself to the tournament in grand fashion, picking up four for 14 in 3.1 overs. Russell had three for 13 from two overs and Akeil Hosein, two for 16 from four.

Earlier, Trinbago Knight Riders had a cautious start to their innings, with Guptill progressing steadily at one point on 20 runs from 20 balls. They lost the wickets of Mark Deyal (27) and Nicholas Pooran (six), but the complexion of the innings changed once Pollard joined Guptill in the middle.

The two swung the momentum of the game, with Guptill, opening up and paraded his six hitting skills, as he hammered nine maximums and a solitary four on his way to an even 100 which came up in the final over. It was the first century of the 2023 edition and it was firmly backed by Pollard's well-paced knock, which included four sixes and a solitary four. 

Despite losing Pollard, Russell (five) and Dwayne Bravo (zero) at the backend, the damage was already done, and it was left for the Knight Riders bowlers to mop up what was left of the Royals hopes on the night.

Barbados Royals will be back in action tomorrow night against reigning champions Jamaica Tallawahs at the same venue.

Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 194-5 (20 overs); Barbados Royals 61 all out (12.1 overs)