After winning five CPL trophies thus far, the 40-year-old wants to finish his career at TKR with one more championship.
The leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, Dwayne Bravo, has declared his retirement from the CPL following the current season. Bravo, who turns 41 in October, made the statement hours before the Trinbago Knight Riders’ CPL 2024 season opener in Basseterre versus the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots.
“The trip has been amazing. Bravo wrote on Instagram, “This season will be my last. I’m excited to play in my last professional event in front of my Caribbean people. “TKR is the place where everything started for me and will end with my team.”Bravo now holds the record for most wicket-taking in the CPL with 128 strikes at an average of 22.40 and an economy rate of 8.69 across 103 games.
Bravo’s CPL retirement occurs nearly three years after he concluded his Twenty20 International career due to the West Indies’ early elimination from the UAE-hosted 2021 T20 World Cup. Bravo then announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League in 2023. Since then, he has coached the bowling for the Chennai Super Kings.Bravo is the most decorated player in the CPL, having won five titles overall, three of which were earned with TKR alone. Bravo wants to win his fourth CPL championship with them before calling it a day.
Before leading the Patriots to their first championship in 2021, he had guided TKR to consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018.Bravo played for the TKR team that won the title in 2020. He became the first player to 500 T20 wickets during that season, when TKR won the championship without losing despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bravo joined the Patriots before the 2021 CPL in search of a fresh challenge, and he went on to win the league’s first and only CPL title for a team that wasn’t from Trinidad. Compared to 2020, when the Patriots had placed last, it was a complete comeback.
The CPL’s CEO, Pete Russell, honored Bravo. “We are so grateful that Dwayne has been a part of our tournament since its inception in 2013 and his contribution to making the league what it is today is immeasurable,” he stated in a statement.”Dwayne’s incredible charisma and boundless energy have contributed more than anyone to the CPL’s global reputation as the largest party in sports. We wish ‘Sir Champion’ all the best in his upcoming endeavors and are confident that he will continue to play a significant role in T20 cricket.
Bravo has been using his knowledge to develop young players in various T20 tournaments across the world, particularly at the CPL, and he has been playing a role similar to what MS Dhoni has been playing for the Chennai Super Kings for some time. He helped all-rounder Dominic Drakes become a match-winning player, for instance, by mentoring him during the 2021 CPL.After winning the CPL 2021 championship as Player-of-the-Match, Drakes went on to collaborate with Bravo in other competitions, such as the T10 (Delhi Bulls) and IPL (Chennai Super Kings).
Bravo has also had a close working relationship with USA fast bowler Ali Khan, who frequently steps in to bowl for TKR in the closing moments. Before suggesting Khan to TKR, Bravo had originally seen him in the US Open T20 competition and signed him for the Winnipeg Hawks in the Global T20 Canada.In a 2021 interview with news reports, coach Simon Helmot—who had previously served as a member of the leadership teams at the Patriots and the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel—gave a high evaluation of Bravo’s captaincy.
“I noticed another difference in 2021 [at the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots] from 2014–16. Helmot had stated at the time, “He wasn’t just the captain; he was the ultimate leader.” “He is involved not only in our players and staff but also in our ownership and the organization as a whole. Perhaps this is because of his affiliation with CSK and its robust organisation. However, over the past 15 years, I’ve watched this guy develop from a strong player and captain to now having the full package.”In T20 cricket, game intelligence and game beginnings are critical. Although T20 is often associated with youth, it’s also a game for experienced players who can solve problems and find solutions for others as well as for themselves.”
Then, before of the 2023 CPL, Bravo joined forces with his close buddy Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and Nicholas Pooran to form a formidable core at TKR. They made it to the championship game, where the Guyana Amazon Warriors of Imran Tahir defeated them.Bravo will participate in many franchise contests across the globe, but CPL 2024 will mark his final competition on home ground. He was signed to a contract with MI Emirates, who kept him on before the third season of ILT20 took place in the United Arab Emirates. In the Emirates, he will meet up with Pooran and Pollard again. Bravo had also played for the Texas Super Kings of Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States last month.
