The flamboyant Dwayne Bravo may never be included in the same bracket as the legends of West Indies cricket such as Gary Sobers, Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd but the livewire all rounder from Trinidad and Tobago has carved a unique niche for himself in world cricket. A few hours after he had announced his retirement as a player, he was grabbed by Kolkata Knight Riders as a mentor for their 2025 IPL campaign.
Kolkata Knight Riders have taken him as a replacement for Gautam Gambhir, who has moved to the Indian team. In the course of his career, Bravo has played 582 T20 matches, taken 631 wickets, and scored nearly 7,000 runs. In three different IPL seasons Bravo captured 25 or more wickets which is a feat that no other bowler has achieved. So Bravo’s experience and expertise in the T20 format is unparalleled.
Versatility is his strength
But Bravo’s real value lies in his versatility. He can don a number of caps and do every job with a high level of competence. He has played for the Knight Riders label in the CPL because he was a member of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the last 10 years. Having played for and against the Knight Riders in various leagues, he has a lot of knowledge about the way the franchise runs its operations.
He is very excited about the new chapter in his life. He told the media: “The owners’ passion, the professionalism of the management, and the family-like environment make KKR a special place. This is the perfect platform for me as I transition from playing to mentoring and coaching the next generation of players.”
Cricket’s nomads
Bravo belongs to the new generation of cricket nomads. In the past nomads were people who had no fixed abode. They wandered from region to region in search of food and livelihood. They were communities of hunter-gatherers, shepherds or tradesmen. In the 21st century, sportsmen have become nomads who take their skills across the world and play wherever they are wanted.
Bravo has played in India for the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions and Chennai Super Kings, in Bangladesh for Chittagong Kings, Comilla Victorians, Dhaka Dynamites, Fortune Barishal, in England for Northern Superchargers, Essex, Middlesex and Kent, in Pakistan for Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators, in Australia for Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers, in South Africa for Dolphins, Paarl Rocks, in the Caribbeans for St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Trinbago Knight Riders, in the USA for Texas Super Kings in addition to representing the West Indies cricket team in Tests and white ball cricket.
Bravo and Lara from the same locality
Dwayne Bravo has established himself as one of T20’s earliest legends by playing in seven World Cups in the format and winning two of them. He has also won at least 15 franchise league titles, and was the first bowler to reach a total of 500 wickets in the T20 format. The irony was that there was no T20 cricket when he started his cricket career. He wanted to emulate his idol Brian Lara who had grown up in the same locality as Bravo.
When Bravo began playing in the 20 format, he quickly understood what he needed to do. He became one of the most effective bowlers in the chaos of the death overs. His calculated thinking made him one of the most sought after players in the T20 leagues all over the world.
Clever strategist
Bravo devised strategies to dominate the batsmen in the crucial end overs which is a skill that very few bowlers have mastered. He didn’t have the high speed velocity of a tearaway fast bowler but he made up for it with his subtle tricks including well disguised slower balls. He was an expert at keeping cool when the pressure was intense.
His strength was that he could analyse the situation very cleverly. He formed his tactics after taking different factors into account – the state of the pitch, the skills of the batter facing him and the element of surprise. He is now acknowledged as a master of strategy and planning. Kolkata Knight Riders must be happy to have roped him in as a prize catch for the 2025 IPL season.
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