Sunil Narine named skipper of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders

Sunil Narine on Wednesday was appointed as the captain of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for the upcoming inaugural edition of the ILT20 in the UAE. Narine has been part of the Knight Riders bandwagon ever since he was signed up by the Kolkata franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2012. “I’m very excited to take up the role as captain of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. It’s a new challenge because now I have to think about the functioning of our whole team, rather than just focus on my game or my four overs. It’s something I’m really looking forward to,” he said in an official release by the franchise. Narine also represents the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). “I have grown on Knight Riders, and Knight Riders have grown on me, so it’s like a family. Everywhere they have a team, I love being a part of it.” “I have played a lot of cricket in the UAE, so I know the conditions pretty well. If you look at the ADKR squad, it is a familiar setup and not a brand-new XI that I have to get used to. So that gives me great confidence, knowing the strength of my players,” he added. Narine will be having the company of fellow West Indies players like Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Raymon Reifer, Kennar Lewis, and Ravi Rampaul. The Abu Dhabi franchise also has overseas players like Jonny Bairstow, Seekuge Prasanna, Lahiru Kumara, Charith Asalanka, Paul Stirling, Ali Khan, Brandon Glover, and Colin Ingram.