IPL 2021: "That was game, set, match and everything else" - Aakash Chopra on Sunil Narine dismantling the RCB batting lineup

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Sunil Narine's devastating spell almost sealed the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL 2021 Eliminator.

Narine returned figures of 4/21 in his four-over spell in last night's Indian Premier League encounter in Sharjah. The mystery spinner got rid of Srikar Bharat, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell to break the back of the RCB batting lineup.

While reviewing the KKR-RCB clash in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Sunil Narine's spell finished the match as a contest. He elaborated:

"Sunil Narine came and shined. He picked up four wickets. He dismissed Virat Kohli, Bharat, Maxi and AB and that's about it. That was game, set, match and everything else."

The former India cricketer illustrated that Sunil Narine dismissed almost all the dangerous batters in the RCB lineup. Chopra said:

"RCB's success formula has been that they are not a one-man team - they had Kohli, Padikkal, Bharat, Maxi and AB - but Sunil Narine cleaned up all of them."

RCB got off to a great start, with Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal adding 49 runs in the first five overs. While Lockie Ferguson got the better of Padikkal, it was all downhill for the Virat Kohli-led side once Narine was introduced into the attack in the tenth over.

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"Maxwell's shot was not required because Sunil Narine's spell was about to get over" - Aakash Chopra

AB de Villiers was castled by Sunil Narine [P/C: iplt20.com]

While stating that AB de Villiers' lack of time in the middle hurt RCB, Aakash Chopra added that Maxwell could have shown a little more restraint against Sunil Narine. He explained:

"AB de Villiers' lack of form came back to bite you. When you look back, you should have probably given him a chance to play more deliveries. Maxi's shot I thought was not required because his [Narine's] spell was about to get over. You were the only one left and you had to take them forward."

The former KKR player observed that Sunil Narine's divine performance was the difference between the two sides. Chopra stated:

"Whenever you are surrounded by clouds of despair, guruji has said that you should remember Lord Narayan and he will come for you. KKR got the win in the encounter between Sunil Narine and RCB."

After his match-winning spell with the ball, Sunil Narine also played a game-changing knock with the bat. The Trinidadian smoked 26 runs off 15 deliveries, which gave KKR the required momentum in the run chase.

Poll : Who has been the bigger match-winner for KKR?

Sunil Narine

Andre Russell

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