UPDATED: Defending CPL champs keep Bravo brothers, Ramdin, Munro

DWAYNE Bravo will stay with the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) to help the team achieve a hat-trick of titles.

Bravo was selected as TKR's first-round pick in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League Draft that is currently taking place in London, England. Newsday reported yesterday that Bravo was only teasing the TKR fans that he would be leaving for another franchise. On the CPL Instagram page, Bravo said, "Let's see where the champion will end up this season."

Responding to shocked fans, the long-standing TKR captain commented on the page: "No TKR for me this season guys sorry but I have nuff of the cussing. I need to enjoy my time now good luck TKR fans!!!"

In round two, TKR selected Kieron Pollard followed by spinner Sunil Narine in round three and the tournament's top run scorer last year Colin Munro in round four. Munro scored 567 runs that included six fifties.

TKR, unfortunately, lost spinners Fawad Ahmed and Shadab Khan who were both key members of the team. Ahmed, who finished the 2018 tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 22 wickets, was selected by St Lucia Stars in round two and Khan was chosen in round one by the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

In round five TKR selected wicketkeeper/batsman Ramdin, followed by Darren Bravo in round six. After focusing predominantly on the batting department in the first six rounds, TKR chose Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain in round seven. That pick was followed by left-arm spinner Pierre who had a breakthrough season in 2018 with TKR snatching 11 wickets in seven matches at a low economy rate of 5.65. All rounder James Neesham of New Zealand will bring some international experience to the team after being selected by TKR in round nine.

Sri Lanka leg-spinner Seekkugee Prassana was picked up in round ten, followed by wicketkeeper/batsman Amir Jangoo, fast bowler Anderson Phillip, batsmen Mark Deyal and Tion Webster, all-rounders Javon Searles and Akeal Hosein, and Pakistan-born US fast bowler Ali Khan, who was third on the wicket-taking list last season with 16.

TKR 2019 team – Dwayne Bravo (captain), Kieron Pollard (marquee player), Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Bravo, Mohammad Hasnain, Khary Pierre, Jimmy Neesham, Seekkugee Prassana, Amir Jangoo, Anderson Phillip, Mark Deyal, Tion Webster, Javon Searles, Akeal Hosein, Ali Khan.