Dwayne Bravo, the illustrious former West Indies and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder, is set to don the red and black once again as he returns to the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) for the upcoming 2023 season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Bravo, who spent the last two seasons with the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, expressed his delight at rejoining his beloved TKR.
In an official statement, Bravo shared his excitement, stating, "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 for me 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."
Bravo has been an integral part of TKR since the inception of the Caribbean Premier League in 2013 until 2020, contributing significantly to their four championship-winning campaigns in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2020.
The franchise, which is the most successful team in CPL history, had a tough season last year, finishing at the bottom of the points table. With Bravo's return, TKR aims to reclaim their dominance in the tournament.
"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," added Bravo, who currently serves as the bowling coach of CSK in the IPL 2023.
Bravo, the second most-capped T20 player in the world with 558 matches, only surpassed by his good friend and TKR captain Kieron Pollard (625 matches), holds the record for the highest number of wickets in CPL history with 124 scalps in 97 matches. He has also made valuable contributions with the bat, accumulating 1146 runs.
Pollard expressed his excitement about Bravo's return, stating, "Very exciting times. The champion DJ Bravo is coming back to his home franchise TKR. Our relationship and our friendship are 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."
In addition to Bravo's return, TKR also announced the appointment of Phil Simmons as the head coach. Simmons, a former West Indies player and experienced coach, replaces Abhishek Nayar in the role.
Pollard expressed his enthusiasm about working with Simmons, saying, "As captain, I'm very excited to have coach Phil with us. We have 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."
Trinbago Knight Riders will kick off their CPL 2023 campaign against the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia on August 19. The fans eagerly await the return of Bravo and the collective effort of the team to reclaim their spot at the top of the CPL mountain.