Former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo has brought an end to his long and illustrious association with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), with whom he won four IPL titles, as he transitions to a new role with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Bravo will join KKR as a mentor starting from the 2025 season, marking a significant shift in his post-playing career.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Bravo, who turns 41 in October, will replace Gautam Gambhir, who stepped down from his role as KKR’s mentor after guiding the team to their third IPL title in 2024. Bravo’s new position will not be limited to KKR alone; he will also oversee all Knight Riders-owned franchises in T20 leagues around the world, including Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, Los Angeles Knight Riders in Major League Cricket (MLC), and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the International League T20 (ILT20).

"DJ Bravo joining us is an exciting development," said KKR CEO Venky Mysore in a statement. "His relentless drive to win, along with his vast experience and deep knowledge, will greatly benefit our franchise and players."

Bravo's departure from CSK brings an end to a decorated chapter with the franchise he joined in 2011. After retiring from IPL cricket following the 2022 season, he transitioned to the role of CSK's bowling coach and helped guide the team to the 2023 IPL title. Bravo's 2023 success as a coach added to his three IPL titles as a player, solidifying his legacy at CSK.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest T20 bowlers in the game's history, Bravo is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history and the first player to win two purple caps, awarded to the leading wicket-taker in a season. His mastery as a death bowler, combined with his infectious energy and leadership qualities, made him an invaluable figure both on and off the field.

Bravo confirmed his excitement for the new challenge in a statement. "I've been part of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the last 10 years in the CPL. Having played for and against the Knight Riders in various leagues, I have a lot of respect for how they operate. The owners' passion, the professionalism of the management, and the family-like environment make it a special place. This is the perfect platform for me as I transition from playing to mentoring and coaching the next generation of players."

Bravo’s new role comes as part of a larger restructuring at KKR following Gambhir’s departure to become India’s head coach after the 2024 IPL season. The franchise also lost key figures Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, both of whom have taken up roles with India’s support staff. At KKR, Bravo will work alongside head coach Chandrakant Pandit and bowling coach Bharat Arun, forming a strong management team.

Lucknow Super Giants' Nicholas Pooran showcased his batting prowess on Sunday with a spirited 32-ball 45 against Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League match, but his efforts ultimately ended in vain as his side succumbed to an eight-wicket defeat.

Despite Lucknow's loss, Pooran's aggressive innings stood out as he struck four sixes and two fours to provide a much-needed boost to his team's total. His performance, coming in at number six, helped Lucknow Super Giants post a competitive score of 161 for 7.

Kolkata Knight Riders' Mitchell Starc proved to be a significant obstacle for Lucknow, claiming three crucial wickets for 28 runs, including that of Pooran in the final over. Starc's exceptional bowling performance played a pivotal role in restricting Lucknow's run-scoring capabilities in the latter stages of the innings.

Starc got support from Sunil Narine, who failed with the bat, only making six, but bowled well, picking up 1-17 from his quota of overs. Andre Russell was expensive conceding 16 runs but also taking a wicket in the emphatic victory.

Lucknow's hopes were further dashed as Kolkata Knight Riders' Phil Salt dominated the chase with an unbeaten 89 off 47 balls, steering his team to victory with ease. Salt's aggressive batting display, combined with a composed innings of 38 not out from Shreyas Iyer, propelled Kolkata Knight Riders to their target with eight wickets in hand.

Andre Russell has thrown Cricket West Indies under the buss in a recent interview claiming his Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders treats him better.

The 35-year-old all-rounder has played for KKR since 2014, when he helped them win the IPL title.

Since that time, Russell, who last played for the West Indies during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, has declined several opportunities to represent the regional team often citing health issues relating to long-term knee injuries.

During a recent interview on Star Sports in India, Russell said KKR makes him feel special for everything that Kolkata-based franchise did for him to get treatment done on his knees.

"Where I was, a few years ago, KKR actually make things happen for me where they send me to get proper treatments on my knees,” Russell said.

“That's something special to me to be honest. No other franchise or even my country never really invest that much on me."

Russell added that he feels at home at KKR.

"I'm happy here. I don't see any other franchise I would love to be a part of in this tournament because I've been here for about nine years now. Been here for so many years, I meet these guys, get closer to them every year," he said.

Cricket great Sunil Gavaskar believes having Sunil Narine batting in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ middle order is a complete waste of time as the team needs quality batsmen in their line-up to be able to reverse their fortunes in the IPL this season.

KKR are currently eighth in the IPL standings after just two wins from their seven matches to date, a position that Gavaskar believes comes down to one thing.

"To be honest, they don’t have too many classy batsmen. I don’t know how many in the dugout they can look to and say, ‘Look… why don’t you come in and bat up the order.’ Because if you have a look at their batting, apart from Shubman Gill and Morgan himself, there is no class," Gavaskar said on Cricket Connected.

"There is Andre Russell down at five or six and Dinesh Karthik,” Gavaskar continued.

“I would look at promoting Karthik up the order, because for simple reasons. There is Rahul Tripathi up. Sunil Narine at 4 or 5 whatever is a waste of space. It doesn’t make any sense having him there. If you want to have Sunil Narine, have him at the top of the order where he can throw his bat around, and maybe if he connects a few, that’s fine.

“KKR’s problem is that they haven’t got anybody at three, four, five who can play an impact innings."