Former West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo has thanked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan and the management for showing faith and appointing him as the mentor of the franchise. Bravo on Friday was named mentor by the defending Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, and will also work KKR’s sister franchises in the Caribbean Premier League, Major League Cricket and ILT20. In a video message, Bravo also thanked his former team, Chennai Super Kings, for ‘blessing’ him in the next chapter of his career as coach.

Bravo, who announced his IPL retirement in 2021, worked as the bowling coach of the franchise in the IPL 2022 and IPL 2023 seasons.

“To all the Knight Riders fans and all DJ Bravo fans around the world, first, I want to say thank you. A big, big thank you to the Knight Riders family and the management for trusting me, giving me the opportunity to be a part of a very special franchise. I want to say a big thank you also to the management and staff of the Chennai Super Kings for giving me the blessings to move on and carry on in my journey. I believe I always wanted to be in a position where I could inspire the next generation of champions,” Bravo said in the video.

Bravo also recalled KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan’s message to him, claiming win continue to ‘party and win trophies’ in the coming years.

“So now, with that being said. I look forward to doing my best and I look forward to doing great things with the team in Purple. To our boss SRK (Shah Rukh Khan), as he always says, we are going to enjoy, we are going to have fun. We are going to party and we are going to win. From the Champion, thank you very much. Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo, Ami KKR,” he added.

Bravo’s stint with KKR will be his second coaching role in the cash-rich league. He joined the Chennai Super Kings in 2011, retired from the franchise in 2022, and in 2023 joined the five-time champions as the bowling coach.

The renowned West Indies all-rounder lifted four IPL titles with CSK in different roles. The decorated Caribbean star is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 183 scalps and also the first player to win two purple caps in the tournament, in 2013 and 2015.

(With ANI Inputs)