Dwayne Bravo, the recently hired coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), disclosed that he sought advice and views from his predecessor Gautam Gambhir prior to the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL). Bravo takes over for Gambhir, who served as mentor to KKR when they won their third IPL championship in 2024 before taking over as India’s head coach.
Dwayne Bravo, who is in charge of preserving and extending KKR’s winning streak, emphasized Gambhir’s influence and said that he draws inspiration from experienced players.
Although he has his own distinct style of play, the former Caribbean cricket player acknowledged that he appreciates the effective tactics and insights that the current India head coach developed and put into practice during the previous campaign.
“My style is different from GG’s. In our own ways, each of us achieves success. I sent him a couple messages with some inquiries, and I’ll keep improving on the excellent work he’s already done. Not making an effort to comprehend the things he accomplished well in the previous season would be disrespectful. However, Bravo stated, “The team’s core is still there, and I will rely on them as well,” as reported by India Today.
Ajinkya Rahane has also joined KKR as captain after Shreyas Iyer decided to bid in the auction. After that, Iyer was purchased by Punjab Kings for an incredible, record-breaking INR 26.5 crore. Venkatesh Iyer has been appointed as Rahane’s deputy, and the defending champions now want the club to keep their trophy.
Rahane, who captained India in all three formats and the Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 and 2019 IPL seasons, has a wealth of leadership exposure and expertise. He was a member of the Kolkata-based team in 2022. KKR is committed to replicating its success from the previous season, with a formidable team that includes players like Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Rinku Singh, among others.
On March 22, the team will play Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their stronghold, Eden Gardens, to begin their IPL 2025 campaign. They have already started their preparations.