IPL 2025: KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo believes basics still have a place in T20s

Dwayne Bravo, the man who famously rolled out his signature song Champion, wears his status as a legend of the T20 game lightly on his shoulders. However, once he puts on the mentor’s cap, the Trinidadian is very much a thinker of the game with his own distinctive take on controversial subjects like the ‘home advantage’ in this year’s IPL.

 If it was Kolkata Knight Riders who first urged for a spin-friendly wicket after losing the opener last month, Chennai Super Kings and of late Lucknow Super Giants have joined the bandwagon. While the BCCI guideline clearly states that the franchises have no say on the nature of the pitches, influential names of the sport are trying to put pressure on the  respective curators – though KKR mentor Bravo thinks differently.

 Asked how much of a role can the so-called ‘home advantage’ play, the two-time T20 World Cup champion and one of the most sought after names in franchise cricket says the only advantage of playing at home are the fans. ‘’I don’t know much about pitches. For me, you turn up, you play and the better team on the day will win the game. Whether the pitch is slow, whether it’s turning or not turning, for me, my language to the players will be make the necessary assessment and adjustment and play according to the conditions.

‘’What helps us with home advantage is the fans,’’ Bravo says with his trademark smile, before adding: ‘’I think that is more important than how the pitch plays. I will not really comment much about pitches but more about the process and once the fans are there into the game and cheering us on, that makes a difference.’’

 Such an assessment may be at odds with the team’s think tank – but as someone who had been the first cricketer to take 500 T20 wickets and 15 franchise crowns from across the world under his belt – Bravo certainly knows what he is talking about. A look at the range of teams he has represented shows he is the perfect example of been there and done that from the Bangladesh Premier League, Abu Dhabi T10 to Big Bash, the Caribbean Premier League and of course IPL.

 Much as he was one of the early batch of Caribbean entertainers alongwith Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard or Darren Sammy, it was refreshing to hear Bravo insist on virtues of basics of the game that often gets swept off the feet in the name of fearless cricket. The shot selection of some of the KKR batters in the last game at the Wankhede – where the wicket offered some bounce and carry upfront – came in for criticism and the match was virtually over as a contest when they were all out for a paltry 116.   

In a veiled critique of some of his players’ shot-selection, Bravo said: ‘’Yes, we are an aggressive batting line-up but that’s not cricket. I think my message to my team, and especially to the batters, is that the basics of the game are still required. These guys need to apply themselves a bit more and I think they get to understand that. The games that we lose offers us some learning so that when you speak cricket, they get to understand the evidence that why we are failing as a batting group.

‘’Now as coaches, it’s important for us to try to break down the game and simplify it a bit and trust that cricketing shots are also allowed in T20 as well,’’ Bravo observed.

 Interesting enough, the surfeit of tall-scoring matches has not yet raided the senses in the first 14 matches of this IPL despite Sunrisers Hyderabad reaching the threshold of the 300-mark in their first match. Totals of around 180-190 have often proved par scores and Bravo finds it quite interesting – saying it could be a combination of smarter bowling and some reckless batting.

‘’You see the scores are now starting to drop a bit because bowlers are getting smarter and they’re trying to use their strengths more. The batters, on the other hand, just have (put) no value on the wicket anymore. I guess it’s a combination of both,’’ he added.