Watch: Sunil Narine blasted his first T20 ton in just 49 balls, reaching the milestone with two sixes and as many fours during Kolkata Knight Riders’ game against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens today (April 16).

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Narine, who had been asked to open the batting again by KKR this IPL season, repaid the trust with 167 runs in his first five innings this season at a strike rate of 183.5. But no one would have predicted what transpired in Kolkata on Tuesday as Narine notched up his first T20 ton to leave spectators and viewers in awe.

Batting on 23 off 16 at one stage, Narine scored his second fifty of the season in 29 balls. He was unstoppable thereafter, racing away to his second fifty of the innings in just 20 deliveries, bringing up his hundred in the 16th over of the innings.

He got to the feat in Yuzvendra Chahal’s over, jumping from 79 to 100 in just five balls. He ran a single off the first ball and was back on strike again for the third delivery, sending it over long-off for a maximum. He got a four next up as Narine flat-batted the googly towards long-off. Chahal, under pressure, erred with the line, conceding a wide and was unable to recover as Narine smashed him for a six and a four again to bring up his hundred.

Narine became the third batter to score an IPL hundred for KKR after Brendon McCullum and Venkatesh Iyer. It was also the first time any KKR player made a hundred in their home ground, Eden Gardens.

He was eventually dismissed for 109 off 56 with his innings containing 13 fours and six sixes. It helped KKR notch up 223-6 on the board.

Narine also crossed 4,000 T20 runs during his knock. He has played 504 T20s and also has 15 fifties.

Watch Narine hit four boundaries off Chahal to reach his hundred here:

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