Former Chennai Super Kings batter Ambati Rayudu has hailed Sunil Narine as the greatest player in Indian Premier League history after the Kolkata Knight Riders star delivered another match-winning performance in IPL 2026. Narine played a decisive role in KKR’s 29-run victory over Gujarat Titans at the Eden Gardens, returning impressive figures of 2/29 in his landmark 200th IPL match.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show after the game, Rayudu praised Narine’s unmatched impact across multiple seasons and formats of the game. According to the former India batter, Narine’s ability to dominate matches with both bat and ball separates him from every other IPL great.

“Best IPL player, according to me, of all time,” Ambati Rayudu said. “He’s a proper match-winner with the ball and with the bat. There have been many great players in the IPL, but Sunil Narine always stands out. He’s right at the top for me.”

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Narine’s consistency over more than a decade in the tournament has been extraordinary. Since joining Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012, the West Indies all-rounder has remained loyal to a single franchise while becoming one of the biggest match-winners in IPL history. He currently sits third on the all-time wicket-takers list with 205 wickets, behind only Yuzvendra Chahal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

The mystery spinner has been central to all three of KKR’s IPL title-winning campaigns. Narine picked up 24 wickets at a stunning economy rate of 5.47 during Kolkata’s 2012 triumph, followed it with 21 wickets in 2014, and added another 17 scalps during their title-winning 2024 season.

What makes Narine even more remarkable is his incredible economy rate in a batting-dominated era. Despite the evolution of aggressive T20 batting, he has never conceded more than eight runs per over in any IPL season. Ambati Rayudu also explained why Narine remains far more difficult to face compared to several other elite T20 spinners, including Rashid Khan.

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“With Sunil Narine, the ball always tends to hold on the surface. It never really skids nicely onto the bat,” Ambati Rayudu explained. “As a batter, that makes it extremely difficult because you can never line him up properly and often lose your shape while attacking him.”