Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan on Saturday backed under-fire all-rounder Sunil Narine to deliver in the ongoing IPL and said the Trinidadian is no different from their latest acquisition, Shakib-Al-Hasan.

His exploits with the bat and ball had given KKR multiple options in the past but the West Indian was far from his best in 2020 and was also called for suspect action.

Heading into his ninth season, Narine faces some heat as KKR seemed to have got his back-up in the form of Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib.

But the KKR skipper thinks differently and said: “Shakib and Sunil are no different.”

“In big moments of the game, particularly last year, you would throw Sunil the ball or you would get him in with the bat because he has been in that situation over and over again.

“He believes in himself and in the team to go and get through and win that situation,” Morgan said, strongly backing Narine on the eve of their IPL opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In this year’s mini auction, KKR made some interesting acquisitions, bringing back Shakib while picking seasoned campaigners in Ben Cutting and Harbhajan Singh.

“Given that we have a bit more travel this year and we go from venue to venue, it’s important to have strength and depth in the squad. Shakib Al Hasan gives us a different dynamic in the team.

“Given that we play at different venues where the conditions change quite a lot, you have a spin bowling all-rounder who had success in international cricket and IPL at different stages. If called upon, he can definitely deliver,” Morgan said.