On Replacing 'Ill' Sunil Narine, KKR Star's Honest Self Assessment: "My Job Is To..."

Moeen Ali feels he did a satisfactory job with the ball in the absence of Kolkata Knight Riders' premier spinner, Sunil Narine, against Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Kolkata Knight Riders walked into the Barsapara Cricket Stadium without their all-time leading wicket-taker and the MVP of their last season's trophy-winning campaign, Sunil Narine. Narine was unavailable due to illness, and captain Ajinkya Rahane needed another spinner. With high hopes, he turned to Moeen Ali.

He cast a web of spin around Rajasthan in their own den. Even though there wasn't much spin on the offer, Moeen's length and flight of the delivery were enough to make the Royals at their wits' end.

The seasoned all-rounder returned with figures of 2/23 on his franchise debut. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was KKR's prime weapon. He continued to maintain his economical nature and registered figures of 2/17 to stifle Rajasthan.

The spin duo paved the way for the Knights to restrict Rajasthan to 151/9. Moeen relished being on the field while playing second fiddle to Chakravarthy, a role he preferred.

"I came on before him [Varun], so my job was to try to bowl as tight as I can. And then maybe he can build a bit of pressure as well or get the wicket. I'm used to bowling with somebody who is better than me and has more mystery than me, so my job there is to bowl as tight as I can, and hopefully that builds pressure for that person to then get wickets," Moeen said in the post-match press conference as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

"Retired from international cricket, yeah, but I still play a lot of leagues, and I still try to stay on top of my game because I still want to play for as long as I can and do well," he added.