Nicholas Pooran, the best T20 batter in world currently, once was forced to play a maiden over against Sunil Narine in Super Over

In a thrilling 2014 CPL encounter, West Indies spinner Sunil Narine made history by bowling a maiden Super Over, restricting Nicholas Pooran.

Nicholas Pooran, the best T20 batter in world currently, once was forced to play a maiden over against Sunil Narine in Super Over

Sunil Narine bowled a maiden Super Over against Nicholas Pooran, in a thrilling 2014 CPL encounter. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

Throwback to 2014, when West Indies wicket-keeper batter Nicholas Pooran was restricted by Sunil Narine to play a maiden over, during an intense Caribbean Premier League encounter. Narine created history by bowling the only maiden Super Over in T20 cricket.

The thrilling match was played between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel at the Guyana National Stadium in the 2014 edition of the CPL. A low-scoring contest between the two sides boiled down a remarkable finish, as the match went all the way to the Super Over. Guyana, in the end, managed to clinch a win over their opponents, marking their second win of the 2014 CPL season.

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Batting first, Red Steel, managed to score 118/8, in their stipulated 20 overs. Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran were the only Red Steel batters who could go past the 20-run mark. It was a match dominated by the bowlers, as Sunil Narine and Ronsford Beaton took two wickets each for Guyana. In response, Lendl Simmons’ 32 and Chris Barnwell’s 37 helped Guyana match Red Steel’s total in their 20 overs. 

The match was pushed into a Super Over, the very first one in the CPL. Guyana, who was put to bat first, managed to score 11 runs, with Chris Barnwell hitting a six off the first ball of the one-over bowled by Kevon Cooper. With 12 runs to score, it seemed to be an easy task for the young Nicholas Pooran then, who had already scored a quick-fire knock of 37 runs off just 17 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes.

However, he was up against Sunil Narine, who scripted a history by becoming the first player to bowl a maiden Super Over in a T20 match. Pooran could not get his bat onto the ball for the first four deliveries, failing to misjudge Narine’s magical spin. He was dismissed in the fifth ball, as he hit the ball straight towards Martin Guptill at long-off. Ross Taylor was beaten off the last ball of the over, by Narine.

Fast forward to 2025, where Nicholas Pooran, now the world’s best T20 batters, is in sensational form for Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL. The 29-year-old is determined to secure the Orange Cap, amassing 349 runs across six games this season, with an average of 69.80 and a strike rate of 215.43. Notably, the 29-year-old recently hammered two sixes in an over against Sunil Narine during a match against KKR.

Nonetheless, the rivalry between the two players continues, with Sunil Narine holding an edge over Pooran in the IPL. The 36-year-old veteran T20 star has kept Pooran in check, having dismissed him twice while giving away 37 runs in 10 innings, where they have faced each other.

IPL 2025 Orange and Purple Cap leaderboards: Overseas stars Nicholas Pooran and Noor Ahmad on top

The IPL 2025 season is all running, with several teams and players having shown off their talents. The Orange and Purple Cap leader-board has also seen several changes, with Lucknow Super Giants star Nicholas Pooran as the leading run-scorer, and Noor Ahmad as the highest wicket-taker, till now. 

Nicholas Pooran and Noor Ahmad
CSK’s Noor Ahmad and LSG’s Nicholas Pooran lead the 2025 IPL Purple and Orange Cap lists, respectively. (via News 18)

Pooran has been enjoying a great IPL season, which could be the best in terms of his run-scoring numbers. He has already scored 349 runs in six matches for LSG, hitting 31 sixes, the most by any player this season. He is followed by Gujarat Titans’ opener Sai Sudharsan (329 runs) and LSG teammate Mitchell Marsh (265 runs), on the list. 

Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings spinner Noor Ahmad, despite the team’s poor start to the competition, leads the list of players with the most wickets, as he has 12 of them in six matches. He is ahead of LSG’s Shardul Thakur, who has scalcped 11 wickets.