Dwayne Bravo announced as mentor for Knight Riders franchises

FORMER West Indies and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) skipper Dwayne Bravo will officially commence duties as mentor for Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the other franchises under the Knight Riders Group from 2025.

On September 27, the Knight Riders made the announcement which confirmed Bravo will serve as the mentor for KKR, as well as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (International League T20), the Los Angeles Knight Riders (Major League Cricket) and four-time Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions TKR.

On September 26, the 40-year-old Bravo took to Instagram to announce his retirement from all forms of cricket after suffering a season-ending groin injury against the St Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba on September 24. Bravo had originally planned to bow out of CPL competition after the ongoing season.

Less than 24 hours after his retirement announcement, which was described as "heartbreaking" by TKR skipper Kieron Pollard, Bravo had news of a different nature for his supporters.

"To all the Knight Riders fans around the world and all the DJ Bravo fans around the world, I want to say thank you to the Knight Riders family, the management for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of a very special franchise," Bravo said, via a video released by the Knight Riders Group.

"I look forward to doing my best. I look forward to doing great things with the team in purple. To our boss (Shah Rukh Khan), as he always says, 'we're going to enjoy, we're going to have fun, we're going to party and we're going to win.'

"That's the most important thing."

Bravo has been involved with the Trinidad and Tobago franchise since the inception of the CPL tournament in 2013, and he led them to their first title in 2015 under the TT Red Steel banner. The all-action allrounder was also a member of the rebranded TKR team which copped CPL titles in 2017, 2018 and 2020. Bravo made a successful move to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2021 and led them to a maiden CPL title, before returning to TKR in 2023.

"I’ve been part of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the last ten years in the CPL. Having played for and against the Knight Riders in various leagues, I have a lot of respect for how they operate," he said.

"The owners' passion, the professionalism of the management, and the family-like environment make it a special place. This is the perfect platform for me as I transition from playing to mentoring and coaching the next generation of players."

Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore welcomed Bravo's new role with open arms.

"DJ Bravo joining us is an exciting development. His relentless drive to win, along with his vast experience and deep knowledge, will greatly benefit our franchise and players," said Mysore, who attended TKR's Decade of Champions celebratory gala at the Hyatt Regency in PoS on September 20.

"We’re also pleased that Bravo will be involved with our other franchises globally, including CPL, MLC, and ILT20."

Bravo also paid homage to IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), whom he won three titles with as a player, to go along with the 2023 title they claimed when Bravo operated in the role of bowling coach.

"I want to say a big thank you also to the management and staff of the Chennai Super Kings for giving me the blessings to move on and carry on with this journey," he said. "I believe I always want to be in a position where I could inspire the next generation of champions."

Bravo joined CSK in 2011 and retired from the IPL after the 2022 season.

Bravo is third on the IPL's all-time wicket-taking list with 183 wickets, and his career-tally of 631 wickets is the highest in T20 cricket history. Bravo is followed on the all-time T20 wicket-taking list by Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan (613 wickets) and KKR and TKR star Sunil Narine (568 wickets).