5 best bowling performances in KKR-PBKS matches in IPL ft. Sunil Narine 

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 42nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Friday, April 26.

Host Kolkata currently sits second on the points table, having won five out of seven matches. KKR defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a thriller in their last match. RCB needed 21 runs off the last over when Karn Sharma smashed three sixes in the first four balls of Mitchell Starc. However, the KKR bowler kept his cool and only conceded one run off the last two, winning the match for KKR by the barest margin of one run.

On the other hand, the Punjab Kings are ninth on the points table. The Punjab-based franchise has only won two out of eight matches. PBKS lost their last match against the Gujarat Titans (GT) and will be looking to gain some momentum when they face KKR.

Meanwhile, if we look at the head-to-head record, both teams have faced off 32 times, with KKR winning 21 times. Punjab has only managed to beat KKR in 11 matches. Over the years, both teams have played a good brand of cricket, and fans have seen some memorable performances.

On that note, in this article, we will look at the five best bowling performances in KKR-PBKS matches in the IPL.

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Top 5 spells in KKR-PBKS matches in IPL

#5 Brilliant spell of bowling by Sandeep Sharma (4/25)

The Punjab Kings had a poor outing when they were asked to bat first in the 14th match of the IPL 2015. No other Punjab batter except captain George Bailey (60) looked comfortable as the Kings only managed to score 155 runs in their 20 overs.

In response, at one point, KKR were 60 for 5 in 7.5 overs, courtesy of an amazing spell by Sandeep Sharma. He ripped through the KKR top-order and brought Punjab into the match. However, Andre Russell came to Kolkata's rescue; he remained unbeaten on 66 runs and guided KKR to a win.

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#4 A match-winning effort by Umesh Yadav in IPL 2022 (4/23)

KKR won the toss and elected to field first in the 8th match of the IPL 2022, played at Wankhede Stadium. The KKR bowlers didn’t disappoint as they bowled out Punjab on 137 runs; leading the way was Umesh Yadav. The Indian bowler took four wickets and conceded only 23 runs in his four overs.

Later, it was Andre Russell's show in the second inning. The West Indian all-rounder remained unbeaten on 70 runs off only 31 balls, guiding KKR to a thumping win over the Kings.

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#3 Andre Russell showing his skills with the ball (4/20)

Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa led the way for KKR after being invited to bat first in the 32nd match of the IPL 2016. Both players scored fifties as KKR put up a decent total of 164 runs.

In response, the Kings lost early wickets as Andre Russell led the way for KKR. Glenn Maxwell scored 68 runs and fought hard but couldn’t take Punjab over the line as they fell short by seven runs.

Meanwhile, Andre Russell was announced as the Player of the Match for his amazing spell. He took four wickets and conceded only 20 runs, playing a key role in KKR’s win.

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#2 Sunil Narine’s amazing spell in a high-scoring match (4/19)

Punjab was pitted against KKR in the 44th match of IPL 2015. Batting first, Punjab put up a good total of 183/5. Kings would have been looking for a score over 200; however, Sunil Narine came in their way; the West Indian bowler conceded only 19 runs and took four wickets.

In response, Andre Russell was again at the work of KKR; the all-rounder struck 51 runs off 21 balls. The match went into the last over, as KKR eventually won by one wicket with only one ball left.

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#1 Maiden IPL fifer for Sunil Narine (5/19)

Gautam Gambhir won the toss for KKR and invited the Kings to bat first in the 17th match of the IPL 2012. Sunil Narine, who was playing his first season, came to the party and took his first IPL-fifer. The West Indian conceded only 19 runs in his spell, as Punjab only managed to score 134 runs.

However, Sunil Narine ended up on the losing side as Piyush Chawla led the way for Punjab and took three wickets. Debabrata Das tried hard and scored 35 runs for KKR, but couldn’t take them over the line as Kolkata fell short by two runs. Nevertheless, irrespective of the result, this spell by Sunil Narine remains one of the best in KKR-PBKS matches.