Not many cricketers play as cheerfully as Dwayne Bravo does. Bravo, who is from Trinidad, always brings a big smile to his face when he steps into the 22-yard box. When Dwayne Bravo’s career was slowly winding down, he was drafted Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2011 and the rest is history.
No one, including Chennai Super Kings (CSK), imagined the impact Bravo would create in the IPL. Today, Dwayne Bravo is the leading run scorer in the IPL with no one challenging his record. After 183 scalps, 161 matches and 516 overs, the West Indies legend announced his retirement from the IPL.
Bravo’s journey was in a way a manifestation of CSK itself. The MS Dhoni-led franchise ran aground before Bravo’s pyrotechnics materialized. Recently, Dwayne Bravo was not retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2023 auction due to his age.
Kasi Viswanathan, Managing Director of Chennai Super Kings also justified the reason for Bravo’s release by quoting, “Age was a big factor.” Nevertheless, the flamboyant all-rounder has decided to continue his association with CSK at the managerial level.
Bravo is appointed bowling coach of CSK
Well done, just like his comrade Kieron Pollardbid adieu to IPL but took charge as coach of Mumbai Indians.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have hired IPL stalwart Dwayne Bravo as their bowling coach. Also, Lakshmipathy Balaji will be replaced by Bravo as he has personal commitments that will keep Balaji out of work for a year.
In a statement released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Dwayne Bravo said, “I’m looking forward to this new path because it’s something I see myself doing when my playing days are completely over. I enjoy working with the bowlers and it’s a role I’m excited about.”
“From a player to a coach, I don’t think I have to adapt much because I’m always working with the bowlers while playing and trying to come up with plans and ideas to stay one step ahead of the batsmen. The only difference is that I will no longer be standing in the middle or in the middle,” the Caribbean all-rounder added.
Finally, Kasi Viswanathan believes that Bravo’s expertise will be of great benefit to the youngsters and they have faith in him to lead the bowling team to success.
IPL through the lens of Dwayne Bravo
In his first season with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2011, Bravo managed to claim just 6 scalps in 6 innings with an economy rate of 7.85. Little did the franchise know, however, that there was only peace before chaos. In the following year, Dwayne Bravo took a wide variety of deliveries and grabbed 15 wickets at an average of 30.8.
In the following two seasons (2013 and 2015), Dwayne Bravo was at the peak of his career as the right-arm, medium-height bowler took a total of 58 wickets in 34 matches. Bravo created headlines in IPL 2013 when he became the first player to take 30 wickets in a season and finished with 32 victims, which is still the overall IPL record.
The following year, Bravo was picked by Gujarat Lions when CSK served a two-year ban and was then retained again by Chennai Super Kings in 2018. In 2016, Bravo played a key role in Gujarat Lions’ relegation qualification in their first season.
Last year, when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were riddled with problems and almost reached the wooden spoon, Dwayne Bravo picked up 16 wickets in just 10 innings at an average of 18.7. As for his batting, the right-hander has also amassed 1,560 runs in 110 innings at a strike rate of 129.6, including a total of five half-centuries.
Although Dwayne Bravo has announced his retirement from international cricket and the IPL; his career didn’t stop completely. The two-time T20 World Cup holder is currently leading the Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Next, Dwayne Bravo will join forces with Kieron Pollard to play the debut season of the T20 International League for MI Emirates.