Former Kolkata Knight Riders batter Aaron Finch named the franchise’s iconic bowler Sunil Narine as the ‘Most Valuable Player’ of IPL 2026.
While naming Narine, Finch chose to ignore players like KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Abhishek Sharma. Finch spoke to ESPNCricinfo when asked to name his MVP of the tournament.
Full list of players ignored by Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch was asked by the host to stay silent until he heard the name of the MVP of the tournament. Finch stayed quiet for several players before saying yes to Narine.
The following is the full list of players snubbed by Finch:
Kartik Tyagi
Eshan Malinga
KL Rahul
Virat Kohli
Mohammed Shami
Jamie Overton
Prince Yadav
Abhishek Sharma
Ishan Kishan
Mohammed Siraj
Jofra Archer
“Guys haven’t been able to get him away at all” – Finch
While naming Sunil Narine the MVP, Finch said that his longevity was the biggest factor in this selection. Although KKR did not make the last four, Sunil Narine was at his economical best, even with the tournament being as batting-friendly as it has been this year.
“Yep. Sunil Narine for me. He’s been brilliant with the ball. No one can seem to get him away, even though guys have faced him for 15 years now. He’s brilliant,” Finch said.
Who is your MVP for #IPL2026? pic.twitter.com/d7MVaZ1WF2
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 26, 2026
Sunil Narine in IPL 2026
In IPL 2026, Narine has been at his economical best despite the tournament being extremely batting-friendly. In 13 matches, he has taken 15 wickets at an average of 22.60 and an economy of 6.64.
Sunil Narine is KKR’s second-highest wicket-taker in this IPL. His economy rate is the best of any bowler who has bowled at least 4 overs in this tournament, and Narine has bowled 51 overs in the tournament.
Earlier this year, he also hit the milestone of 200 wickets in the IPL. Remarkably, all of these wickets have come for the Kolkata Knight Riders, making Sunil Narine the only player to take 200 IPL wickets for a single team. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 207 wickets and the highest among all overseas players.
Although it wasn’t seen in 2026, Narine had an occasional impact with the bat in the past as well. Sunil Narine has a total of 1820 runs in the IPL, making him the first player with 1,500 runs and 200 wickets in the IPL.
IPL 2026 performance of all players snubbed by Finch
The following is a summary of the performances of the players Finch snubbed for the crown. It isn’t immediately clear whether there were more names on the original list.
Kartik Tyagi (18 wickets, 27.67 avg, 9.76 econ)
Eshan Malinga (20 wickets, 25.35 avg, 9.33 econ)
KL Rahul (593 runs, 45.61 avg, 174.41 SR)
Virat Kohli (600 runs, 50 avg, 164.38 SR)
Mohammed Shami (12 wickets, 38.25 avg, 9 econ)
Jamie Overton (14 wickets, 17.78 avg, 8.89 econ)
Prince Yadav (16 wickets, 28.68 avg, 8.82 econ)
Abhishek Sharma (563 runs, 40.21 avg, 204.72 SR)
Ishan Kishan (571 runs, 40.78 avg, 178.43 SR)
Mohammed Siraj (17 wickets, 28.47 avg, 8.96 econ)
Jofra Archer (21 wickets, 21.71 avg, 8.76 econ)
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