Dwayne Bravo returns to Trinbago Knight Riders

Kolkata: Dwayne Bravo, former captain and local hero, has been traded back to Trinbago Knight Riders after two seasons with St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots ahead of CPL 2023.

Bravo, who represented the Trinidad & Tobago franchise from the inception of the Caribbean Premier League in 2013 until 2020, has been a part of each of the four championship-winning seasons for

TKR – 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020.

Earlier, Phil Simmons was announced the head coach of TKR. Simmons, who played for West Indies from 1987 to 1999 as an opening batter and medium-pacer, representing them in three World Cups, is one of the most respected coaches from the region.

After his retirement from playing, Simmons had two stints as head coach of the West Indies (2015–2016 and 2019–2022), along with coaching roles for Zimbabwe (2004–2005), Ireland (2007–2015), and Afghanistan (2017–2019).

Bravo is the second most-capped T20 player in the world (558 Matches), only behind his good friend and TKR captain Kieron Pollard (625 matches). He is the highest wicket taker in the history of CPL, with 124 scalps in 97 matches and has also racked up 1146 runs with the bat so far.

Speaking about his return, Bravo said, “Well, the wait is over. It’s official. Home is home, and I’m very happy to be back at TKR. Venky sir always said even after I had left, that the door will always be open forme to come back to Knight Riders. Trinidad & Tobago has the best cricketing vibes in the Caribbean, and the most passionate fans who are accustomed to seeing their team win. My best friend (Kieron Pollard) is the captain, so hopefully I can bring to the table what I can, and help him in whatever way possible to lift the trophy. I just want to see the Red, black and white flying high and dominating in the CPL.”

Kieron Pollard, TKR captain said, “Very exciting times. The champion DJ Bravo is coming back to hisbhome franchise TKR. Our relationship and our friendship is second to none and this is a very good opportunity for us both to represent TKR together once again, in the upcoming season. We are very happy to have him back in red and black.

As captain, I’m very excited to have coach Phil with us. We have a great chemistry working together as a pair. We’ve done it in the international scene, and it’s great that we are getting the opportunity to work for TKR. Hopefully, this combination will bring smiles and some exciting results back to TKR.”

Venky Mysore, TKR Team Director added, “DJ (Champion) Bravo has been one of the key pillars on which TKR has been built. We are delighted to welcome him back home and look forward to another enjoyable season. There’s no doubt the entire #TeamTKR and our fans will eagerly look forward to seeing him back in TKR colours.”

“We are also delighted to have Coach Phil Simmons on board with TKR. He’s highly respected and his knowledge of the local players as well as the foreign players and the younger talent coming through makes him an ideal choice for TKR,” he added.

Trinbago Knight Riders will play their first match of CPL 2023 against St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia on August 19.

UNI

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