Sunil Narine cleared by the BCCI to bowl in the IPL

Sunil Narine

In what is a welcome relief for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 8th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), mystery spinner Sunil Narine’s bowling action has been cleared by the BCCI.

He was earlier banned from bowling in BCCI-organised tournaments after being found guilty of having an illegal action during the Champions League Twenty20 (CL T20) in India last year. He subsequently remodified his action in order to ensure that his elbow was not flexing beyond the 15-degree limit allowed by the ICC but still withdrew from the recently concluded World Cup as he felt he needed more time to trust his new action.

Strangely, despite the ICC seeming to have no issues with the legality of his action after his intense remedial work, there was a cloud hanging over his participation in the upcoming IPL due to BCCI’s insistence that he will have to come through their independent tests at the Sri Ramachandra University, an ICC-accredited testing centre, in Chennai in order to be satisfied.

KKR were furious with BCCI’s stance on Narine and even threatened to withdraw from the IPL altogether, but thankfully, there is no danger of any such possibility now with Narine set to lead KKR’s quest to defend the IPL title.

The 2015 edition of the IPL kicks off with a marquee clash between the Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on April 8.