IPL: KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo wants Umran Malik to start firing again

The IPL 2025 will not only see a major churn in the look of the teams, but in the support staff in the dugout as well. No wonder, a lot of the spotlight will be trained on Dwayne Bravo, one of the biggest entertainers who helped in shaping the character of the IPL over the years, as he steps into the shoes of Gautam Gambhir as mentor for reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders.     

It was, hence, a new experience for the Caribbean stalwart to be among the decision-makers at the auction table in Jeddah, rather than see his name go up under the hammer as a player. ‘’Happy to be involved in building this powerhouse team. It’s been a great experience though my name did not get any bids,’’ said the former allrounder, who played a key role in Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 'Dad’s Army' at Chennai Super Kings, winning four of their five IPL titles.

A number of big names were floated as the likely successor to Gambhir and it was somewhat surprising to see Bravo, who had been a bowling coach for CSK, get the nod. However, KKR’s business interest in the Caribbean Premier League (SPL) where they own a team in Trinbago Knight Riders, must have helped swing their decision.

No prizes for guessing that Bravo must have played his role in roping in Rovman Powell, the hard-hitting batter and West Indies T20I captain, while KKR loyalists Sunil Narine and Andre Russell were among the six retained earlier.

Reflecting on the auction to KKR Knight Club, the author of the hit Champion song felt that retaining almost 90 per cent of the squad which helped them win the trophy after 10 years was a major achievement in itself. ‘’Getting Venky (Venkatesh Iyer) was our priority. It’s important to keep your core because when you have to build from scratch, it becomes complicated to make combinations and all. We started planning while I was in Trinidad. We had come with a proper plan, the players we wanted to target,” the ever-smiling Bravo said.

The sky-high price tag of Rs 23.75 crore makes Venkatesh Iyer the third highest grosser in the auction after Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, and there are no prizes for guessing that the MP batter, who was vice-captain last year, will be a frontrunner for captaincy. The last-minute inclusion of veteran Ajinkya Rahane, who played for CSK in the last season, has also set tongues wagging though he may be used more as impact player.

Bravo, meanwhile, is gung ho about KKR snapping up speedball Umran Malik cheap (at Rs 75 lakh) and moving to KKR could see his resurgence. ‘’He is a real speed merchant. I admire him and am happy to nail this one,’’ said the man who has plied his trade in virtually all franchise leagues in the world and played over 500 T20 matches.

Ian Bishop upbeat

The news of Umran getting a new team also prompted Ian Bishop, now a TV pundit, to post on social media: “I am hopeful that the excellent Bharat Arun and the terrific mentorship of Dwayne Bravo can help Umran Malik find peak performance at KKR,” Bishop wrote on X. The Jammu & Kashmir bowler made his IPL debut in 2021 and played 26 matches in the cash-rich tournament, picking up 29 wickets at an economy rate of 9.40.

The sensational debut fast-tracked Umran into international cricket as he made his T20I debut in 2022 against Ireland. He has picked up 11 wickets in eight matches so far at an economy rate of 10.48, and KKR fans can brace for a potent pace attack with the likes of Anrich Nortje, Harshit Rana, Umran Malik or Vaibhav Arora operating in tandem in the coming season.