IPL 8: Life Without Sunil Narine Set to Begin as Kolkata Knight Riders Face Tough Rajasthan Royals Test

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will be in a tight corner without their 'mystery spinner' Sunil Narine, reported for chucking, as they gear up to face Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, here on Sunday. (Full Indian Premier League 2015 Coverage)

Narine, whose action has yet again come under scanner will undergo corrective measures at the ICC and BCCI accredited testing facility SRASSC in Chennai and won't be available for the Royals game.

However Narine's absence could prove to be a psychological blow for the Knights, having lost to Sunrisers in their last match via D/L Method. (Sunil Narine's Action Reported Again)

The Royals will also be keen to return to winning ways as they have now lost back-to-back matches after five successive victories. (Rahane Says he Enjoys Building Partnerships With Watson)

Narine is eligible to bowl in the upcoming matches and but it's highly unlikely that the KKR thinktank, which has stood firm by the Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner will risk the spinner for Sunday's match.

Termed an asset who has been hard to replace by his skipper Gambhir, Narine's recruitment had seen them win the title twice in 2012 and 2014. The West Indian spinner has picked 67 wickets in three IPL seasons during which he played in 52 matches. (Royals Coach Slams Batsmen After RCB Loss)

Having remodelled his action and after being tested twice, once in the UK and then in Chennai before the IPL, Narine has looked very ordinary in all five of KKR's matches. He has bowled his full quota (four overs) in every match, but has only picked two wickets with an economy rate of 7.35 against a career rate of 5.92 in the IPL.

The likes of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan punished the Trinidad offspinner as he leaked 38 runs without any wicket agaisnt SRH in the last outing. More than the chemistry in their bowling unit, KKR face the biggest mental hurdle as they hit the home stretch after a 15-day gap owing to the civic polls in the state.

Royals will bank on Rahane to steer them against Kolkata.

© BCCI

KKR in fact have their plan B ready with the likes of Johan Botha, Brad Hogg along with the rookie mystery spinner KC Cariappa, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav besides the tried and tested duo of Piyush Chawla and Yusuf Pathan.

Beginning with RR, KKR will go on to complete all their remaining five home outings by May 9, as they would look to secure as many points as they can to ensure a berth in the playoffs that begin May 19.

Gambhir and Co. love chasing but their plan backfired in their last match affected by rain. The Duckworth Lewis method denied them a third straight away victory.

In the batting department, KKR have been relying heavily on Gambhir who has three half-centuries, as the likes of Robin Uthappa, the last season's top run-getter, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav are yet to convert their starts. Pathan Senior also has been a regular feature for KKR over the past four years with very little to show for his efforts apart from one odd innings here and there.