Sunil Narine Makes CPL History Against Falcons in Eliminator

Sunil Narine achieves new milestone at the Caribbean Premier League in all-important clash.

Sunil Narine Makes CPL History Against Falcons in Eliminator

Sunil Narine (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

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A sheet of the top T20 players to have ever played the game would feature 5-7 West Indies players for sure. They are famous for the way they approach the shortest format, and with their skills with the ball and power with the bat, they have become everyone’s favorite in the format.

One such name on that list is that of Sunil Narine, who with his mystery with the ball and powerful swings with the bat has been loved by most cricket lovers. Narine has been a revelation in the IPL and for the West Indies in their maroon colors over the years.

The first time fans took notice of Narine’s quality was back in 2012 when he ended up as the ‘player of the tournament’ in the IPL. He repeated that feat two more times over the years in the league. Despite him now being 13 years senior than when he won his first ‘player of the tournament’ at the IPL, Narine continues to break records at different leagues around the world.

Narine, recently at the Caribbean Premier League, which is his home league, broke a massive record of the most wickets taken in the history of the tournament. It was previously held by the legendary Dwayne Bravo, who in 107 matches had scalped 129 wickets.

However, now with his crucial spell in the Eliminator, Narine stands with 124 matches and 130 wickets. Playing for the Trinbago Knight Riders, Narine was playing an all-important eliminator against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. To reach the milestone wicket, Narine dismissed Imad Wasim and got him caught at long off by Darren Bravo.

Nicholas Pooran and Trinbago Knight Riders brush aside Antigua and Barbuda Falcons to reach Qualifier 2

The Trinbago Knight Riders are hailed as the most successful team in the history of the Caribbean Premier League. With four titles in 12 seasons, they have had the highest share of the cherry. Players like Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine representing this franchise have also made it gain a massive fan base over the years.

The 2025 CPL also seems to be going in a similar direction with the Trinbago Knight Riders looking dangerous as the tournament reaches the business end. With 6 wins in 10 games in the league stage, the Knight Riders ended third on the points table, missing out on a top 2 spot because of net run rate.

Nicholas Pooran smashes 53 ball 90 to make TKR reach Qualifier 2.
TKR Batters in a match during CPL 2025 (via Sky247)

However, the clinical nature of their win in the eliminator against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons has sparked a new threat in the league for the other teams. The Falcons batted first and scored a decent 166-8 in their 20 overs. Andries Gous and Amir Jangoo were the main contributors with crucial 50s to their names.

From the Knight Riders, Saurabh Netravalkar and Usman Tariq were the pick of the bowlers, taking 5 wickets between them. It wasn’t going to be a straightforward chase considering the pressures of a knockout game. However, Nicholas Pooran has different ideas. With a 53 ball 90, he brushed aside the target in less than 18 overs and with 9 wickets to spare.

It was a performance of pure dominance. With this win, the Trinbago Knight Riders have placed themselves in Qualifier 2. They will play the loser of the Qualifier 1 match between Saint Lucia Kings and Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Knight Riders seem to be peaking at the right time. If they manage to win their Qualifier 2 as well, they will appear in a final for the first time since 2023. That final appearance would then give them a chance to end the CPL title drought created since 2020.

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