BARBADOS

Sunil Narine is quietly confident of doing well in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year.

The Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner was speaking after he was bought for US$700,000 in the IPL auction on Saturday by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Narine has bowled impressively in the shortest version of the game for T&T, doing well at the Champions League Twenty20 last year.

He also made his One-day International debut last December for West Indies against India and he felt this helped him secure the deal.

“It’s a good feeling,” Narine told the Barbados Sunday Sun newspaper. “If you work hard, you get results, so it’s important to work hard and do your best.

“Going out there and bowling against the Indian batsman, who can play spin, that was a good achievement and probably made the IPL auction a success for me.”

Narine has been tipped to play for West Indies against Australia in their forthcoming home series, but he played this down and said he was focused on helping T&T try to win the Regional Four-Day Tournament.

“I am not thinking about that right now,” he said. “In time to come if that happens [selection to West Indies team] I’ll deal with that.

“For now I just have to concentrate on the cricket I am playing right now. Just to continue bowling like I am accustomed doing and go out there and give a good account of myself.”

Narine celebrated his call up to the IPL with a five-wicket haul that helped T&T claim first innings points against Combined Campuses & Colleges on the second day of their day/night first round regional match on Saturday at the Three Ws Oval.

—CMC