IPL 2025: Dwayne Bravo replaces Gambhir as new KKR mentor

The suspense over Gautam Gambhir’s successor as a mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders ended on Friday when they named West Indian stalwart Dwayne Bravo for the role for the 2025 season. Gambhir, who tasted success on his ‘comeback’ to the franchise with whom he had earlier won two IPL titles as captain, is now the head coach of the India team.

This is the first time that any IPL franchise has placed a West Indian at the helm of affairs despite the likes of Bravo, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard having been synonymous with the journey of the league over the years. Pollard, however, was engaged with Mumbai Indians last season after serving the five-time champions as a player.

Hitting the KKR slogan of korbo lorbo jitbo (will fight to win) in a video message for fans, Bravo hoped to create the next generation of champions with his new team as he thanked Chennai Super Kings for allowing him to "move on". A T20 specialist, Bravo was an integral part of the CSK inner circle for years which worked in tandem with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to emerge as one of the most consistent IPL franchises. 

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“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,” said Bravo, who has featured in 582 T20 games (international and franchise cricket) to score over 7,000 runs, and taken 631 wickets.

DJ, as he is popularly known on the cricket circuit, said he was looking forward to working with SRK as "it would be fun".

Knight Riders Group CEO Venky Mysore said in a statement: “DJ Bravo joining us is an exciting development. His relentless drive to win, along with his vast experience and deep knowledge, will greatly benefit our franchise and players. We’re also pleased that Bravo will be involved with our other franchises globally, including CPL, MLC, and ILT20.”

The relocation of Bravo to a new franchise signals potentially seismic changes among the support staff in the new IPL cycle. Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour have joined forces at the Rajasthan Royals as head coach and batting coach, respectively; Ricky Ponting is the new head coach at Punjab Kings, while Zaheer Khan is the new mentor at Lucknow Super Giants.