Dwayne Bravo leaves CSK, joins KKR as mentor for IPL 2025

Dwayne Bravo has joined Kolkata Knight Riders as the team’s mentor, filling the void left by Gautam Gambhir ahead of IPL 2025. The 2024 season proved fruitful for Gautam Gambhir, who transitioned from Lucknow Super Giants to his former franchise, Kolkata, for IPL 2023. Gambhir partnered with head coach Chandrakant Sahu as Kolkata claimed the IPL 2024 title under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Winning the title in 2024, Kolkata secured their third overall championship and their first since the 2014 edition, which was won by Gautam Gambhir as skipper.

However, before Gautam Gambhir could continue the successful run with KKR, better opportunities came his way. After India picked up the historic T20 World Cup trophy, Rahul Dravid marked the end of his coaching career with the senior Men’s Team. Subsequently, the BCCI appointed Gautam Gambhir as the next head coach. Naturally, Gambhir’s new responsibility as India’s head coach meant that Kolkata would need to find a mentor to replace him for the upcoming seasons. With a mega auction lined up ahead of IPL 2025, the role of support staff is vital within all the franchises.

Kolkata Knight Riders have roped in Dwayne Bravo as mentor ahead of IPL 2025

In a major update, Kolkata Knight Riders have officially named Dwayne Bravo as their new mentor ahead of IPL 2025. Bravo, widely regarded as a T20 cricket icon, made this career transition shortly after announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket. His retirement followed an unfortunate injury that brought his Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 season to an abrupt end. Bravo’s appointment at KKR sees him take over the role previously held by Gautam Gambhir, further solidifying his post-playing career in coaching and mentoring.

"DJ Bravo joining us is a very exciting development. His deep desire to win wherever he plays, his extensive experience and knowledge will benefit the franchise and all players immensely. We are also pleased that he will be involved with all our franchises around the world - CPL, MLC, and ILT20," KKR CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement.

Dwayne Bravo played his last IPL season when Chennai Super Kings claimed their 4th title in 2021. The seasoned player, a treasured asset to Chennai, remained with the franchise as he took on the role of bowling coach. Subsequently, Bravo continued in this capacity as Chennai secured their 5th trophy in 2023. However, in an unexpected update for CSK fans, the franchise has decided to release the Caribbean player ahead of IPL 2025.