Former West Indies cricketer Dwayne Bravo, who has taken over as mentor at Kolkata Knight Riders from Gautam Gambhir, announced on Thursday his plans to combine successful elements from his predecessor’s approach whilst implementing his own distinctive methods for the forthcoming IPL.
KKR, who clinched their third IPL title last season under Gambhir’s guidance, have appointed Bravo following Gambhir’s move to become the Indian team’s head coach.
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“Unfortunately, we lost some players. But I think GG had his style, I have my style. We’re both successful in our own ways,” Bravo stated, acknowledging Gambhir’s achievements whilst affirming his intention to establish his own leadership approach.
The former Caribbean captain disclosed that he had sought Gambhir’s counsel.
“Definitely, I messaged him a few times and stuff. But again, I will be leaning a lot on these guys because they had a successful formula. And it’s important that we follow that formula,” he revealed during the team’s initial media interaction before the new season.
Bravo highlighted the importance of understanding previous successes and maintaining team stability.
“I think it’s going to be disrespectful of me not to try and find out some of the good things he did last season. But also, the core of the team is here. And that’s our responsibility, coach, myself, Venky sir to go back into the auction and try our best to get back. It was our duty to go into the auction and try to get back as much as the same squad of players from the championship-winning team. And we were able to get that,” said the 41-year-old.
Despite his strong ties with Chennai Super Kings, Bravo is enthusiastic about collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan and praised KKR’s standing in the competition.
“I think it is good to have a boss like Shah Rukh who is definitely really invested in the game. My first thing started off with the Trinbago Knight Riders when he first bought the team. I was the happiest person on the planet to know that someone like him showed that interest to buy a team in the Caribbean. But not only in the Caribbean, but my hometown. And I was able to help build Trinbago Knight Riders, one of, to this day, the most successful franchises in CPL history,” Bravo said.
“That energy and that vibe, I am going to try to bring that here as well. It is already a successful team. Behind MI and CSK, we have the third most trophies in the cabinet and we look to build on that.”
KKR will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Eden Gardens on March 22.
