The CPL just provided an epic heavyweight duel. Perhaps to make the night all about the Knight Riders, Sunil Narine smashed T20 records and carried his team over the Royals in shocking fashion. It was held at the lively Brian Lara Stadium, an ideal setting for the knockout clash. In doing so, Narine accomplished a truly remarkable feat by breaking the record for the most runs scored by any player in a single CPL season.
In a jaw-dropping exhibition of batting skill, Narine reached 130 runs, placing him at the top as the leading run scorer. Tristan Stubbs was the most recent recipient of the coveted honor. He knew he had set the bar high but he had heretofore, an impressive goal of earning at least £590,000. The stakes were raised even higher in the match between the Knight Riders and the Royals. The Royals were still struggling at 120-5 in the 16th over, thanks to Tabraiz Shamsi’s breathtaking spell of three wickets.
Moeen Ali’s exceptional bowling performance of 1-11 from four overs provided crucial support to the Knight Riders, restricting the Royals’ scoring opportunities. The other real star of the day was Imran Tahir, who’s spell of 3-30 really served to underline the burgeoning choke on the Royals’ batting order.
As the match unfolded, Shakib Al Hasan emerged as a key player for the Royals, top-scoring with an explosive 61 runs off just 26 balls. That wasn’t enough to win his team the game. Andre Russell and Jason Holder had a huge hand in helping the Knights reach their final total, scoring 98 and 110 runs to lead the way.
Significantly, Narine’s innings outsized the previous bests from other *West Indies International Exported Players* like Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine himself. He broke Dwayne Bravo’s record of 129 and Imran Tahir’s record of 125 runs to prove his extreme domination at the tournament.
The match witnessed Tim Seifert making history by hitting the joint-fastest century in CPL history with an unbeaten 125 runs off 53 balls. His explosive batting was a key reason that the Knight Riders turned the tables. He built a fruitful stand with Rassie van der Dussen, who saw the game home unbeaten with 37 runs.
Chris Green and Powell put on a wonderful collaborative display by creating an unyielding stand of 71 off only 28 balls. This remarkable run of performance established their momentum and carried them quite literally to the points throne.
Andries Gous was another star player in this novel match, scoring 85 runs from just 53 balls for the Royals. For all his skill, the bowling attack was no match to Narine and others who carried away the fight.
Kieron Pollard remained a notable figure in CPL history as he sits second on the all-time run-scorers list with an impressive total of 14,077 runs.
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