Kolkata Knight Riders star Sunil Narine has shattered a massive Kieron Pollard record during his team’s IPL 2026 opener against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Narine has been a KKR icon, playing key roles in his team’s triple IPL win.
Narine has been part of the Knight Riders setup since his debut in the league in 2012. Joining KKR in 2012, he made an immediate impact with his mystery spin, playing a key role in their title-winning campaigns in 2012 and 2014. Known for his economical bowling and wicket-taking ability, Narine later evolved into a destructive opening batter, redefining his role in T20 cricket.
Narine breaks Pollard’s record
During his team’s IPL 2026 opener against MI, Narine shattered Pollard’s record for most matches played by an overseas player in IPL history. This was his 190th match in the tournament, which puts him on the top of the list.ย
Most matches by an overseas player in the IPL:
190 – Sunil Narine*
189 – Kieron Pollard
184 – AB de Villiers
184 – David Warner
161 – DJ Bravo
Mumbai Indians win toss, opt to bowl first
Coming back to the match, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first. Hardik reasoned that the greenery on the pitch was the reason behind his bowling decision. “We are going to bowl. Looks like a good track, it appears greener than it used to. Let’s see how it plays. This is our fortress, the crowd is behind us and we’re looking to play a good game. We started a couple of weeks earlier, have plenty of experience and a mix of youth. Rohit, Surya, Mitchell Santner – so there’s no shortage of captains; I’m just excited to go out there and perform. We’re going with 6 bowlers and 5 batters,” Hardik said at the toss.
Meanwhile, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane also wanted to bowl first. “We were looking to bowl, never seen this amount of grass at Wankhede. Preparations have been good, couple of camps in Kolkata and in Mumbai as well. Know that MI is a champion team and we’re looking forward to be playing against them. Just stay at the moment and don’t look at the past. A couple of injuries – we’re going with 6 batters and 5 bowlers. Four overseas players – Cameron Green, Finn Allen, Sunil Narine and Blessing Muzarabani,” Rahane said at the toss.