West Indies spinner Sunil Narine was very excited and elated to be part of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) once again after being retained by the franchise ahead of the mega Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the upcoming IPL 2022.
On November 30, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) retained Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, and Venkatesh Iyer ahead of the mega IPL auction in 2022.
Narine, who was retained by the KKR for 6 crores ahead of the mega IPL 2022 auction, is also looking forward to playing at Eden Gardens, Kolkata again.
In a video posted by the KKR on Twitter, Narine expressed his gratitude towards the franchise for retaining him for the IPL 15 and said that he would prefer to play only for the Kolkata-based franchise in the T20 leagues across the world.
Apart from playing for Kolkata in the IPL, the all-rounder also plays for the KKR-owned Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Narine said in a video, “I am very excited, it's the only place I want to be in IPL cricket at the moment. If KKR has a team anywhere in the world I would prefer playing for them, whether it's KKR or TKR or any other franchise that they would have."
He further added, "It's been 10 good years through thick and thin and KKR has been a loyal franchise and I look forward to playing at Eden gardens again next year.”
Meanwhile, West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell also thanked KKR for all their "love and support" after he was retained by the franchise ahead of the mega IPL 2022 auction. Like Narine, Russell also wants to be a part of the KKR in all the leagues they play in globally.
Read Also: IPL 2022: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - list of retained players
Russell said in a video shared by KKR on Twitter, “Over the last eight seasons I have been a Knight Rider player and it's amazing that they continue to show me so much, love. My journey with KKR continues and I appreciate the trust, support, and confidence they have shown in me across the years.”
He signed off by saying, “I also like the direction they are going in, it's not just IPL in India, they are spreading their wings and I am happy and excited to spread my wings with them as well. I look forward to being a part of all the franchises they have globally, whichever league they are involved in, I will be happy to wear this logo on my heart.”
(With ANI Inputs)
