DJ Bravo to coach TKR for 2025 season

A familiar face will be leading the dugout for four-time winners Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) when the 2025 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season bowls off on August 14, as former star allrounder Dwayne Bravo will be the new head coach.

Bravo, 41, played his last CPL campaign in September 2024, with his final match coming against eventual champions St Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba on Republic Day. Bravo played over 100 matches CPL matches and has five titles to his name, including his 2021 title run as the captain of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. At the CPL draft show on June 18, host Alex Jordan confirmed Bravo’s new role with the CPL’s winningest franchise.

“Head coach this year for the TKR is Dwayne Bravo, so the Bravo brothers (are) in full effect,” said Jordan, after TKR’s full 17-man squad was revealed.

Longstanding TKR manager Colin Borde also confirmed Dwayne’s appointment as coach. Bravo served as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise in the 2025 Indian Premier League season, while his passion and tactical instincts were on full display at last year’s T20 World Cup on Caribbean soil when he served as a bowling consultant for an Afghanistan team which got to the semifinals before being beaten by South Africa.

“Dwayne’s cricket knowledge not only as a player but as the world knows, a mentor and strategist, is legendary,” Borde told Newsday.

“We’re happy that he’s in his new role and we all look forward to his guidance and leadership together with the captain and leadership group. The circle is complete.”

Former Windies player and coach Phil Simmons was the TKR coach for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

TKR’s team for the 2025 season sees the return of two left-handers who helped the team to some of their famous trophy runs – Darren Bravo and New Zealand’s Colin Munro, a TKR legend in his own right. Darren, 36, has played 98 CPL matches, with his last game coming in the 2022 campaign when he turned out for the Patriots against TKR. He last represented the West Indies in 2022, with his last match for TT Red Force coming in the 2023 Regional Super50 final.

Meanwhile, the 38-year-old Munro has played over 70 matches for TKR, helping them to CPL titles in the 2017, 2018 and 2020 seasons. The leading overseas run-scorer in CPL history, Munro has over 2,000 runs for TKR across seven seasons.

Borde lauded the return of Munro and the younger Bravo.

“The return of Darren Bravo is a welcome sight. Darren has always been a class act and will add not only his skills on the field but his immense and often overlooked cricket experience and intuition,” Borde said.

The TKR squad also includes household regional names such as allrounders Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, as well as T20 superstar Nicholas Pooran, who retired from international cricket on June 9. The 29-year-old Pooran, who was named the Wisden T20 Cricketer of the Year for 2024, was last year’s top scorer in the CPL with 504 runs.

The TKR team also includes ace left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, veteran seamer Ali Khan, Terrance Hinds and West Indies top-order batsman Keacy Carty, who made his T20 debut for West Indies versus Ireland on June 15.

With their overseas picks, TKR have largely gone for experience, with English opener Alex Hales, 36, and Pakistani left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir, 33, being drafted into the squad alongside Khan and Munro. Amir has represented three teams in the CPL, with eight wickets coming during his 2024 stint with Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The TKR team also includes 27-year-old Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq, with out-of-favour West Indies leg-spinner Yannic Cariah also being added to the setup.

With the three picks which were designated to players who featured in the inaugural West T20 Breakout League, TKR opted to go with seamers McKenny Clarke and Nathan Edward, as well as Red Force Skipper Joshua Da Silva, who led TT Legions to the title last month.

The all-round pair of Navin Bidaisee and Jyd Goolie, who also played with the Legions, have been scooped up by the Patriots, while both Joshua James and Amir Jangoo will play with the Falcons.

TKR squad for 2025 CPL season:

Mohammad Amir, Darren Bravo, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, McKenny Clarke, Joshua Da Silva, Nathan Edward, Alex Hales, Terrance Hinds, Akeal Hosein, Ali Khan, Colin Munro, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Usman Tariq.