Dwayne Bravo announced his retirement from the Indian T20 League last week, bringing a long and eventful journey as a player with Team Chennai to an end. The West Indies all-rounder will continue his association with Team Chennai for the next season as he was appointed the team’s bowling coach.
The 39-year-old’s retirement was widely expected after Team Chennai released him ahead of the mini-auction this month with diminishing returns from the team’s investment in him and age playing a factor in his exit.
As Dwayne Bravo starts a new phase in his career, here’s a look at his career in the Indian T20 League and what the future holds for him.
Dwayne Bravo with Team Chennai
Regarded as one of the best death-over bowlers in international cricket, Dwayne Bravo was picked up by Team Chennai in 2011 from Team Mumbai.
He started his career with Team Chennai on a high note, scoring 461 runs during the 2012 Indian T20 League season. Dwayne Bravo became one of the core members of Team Chennai in the following years alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja.
Over the years, Dwayne Bravo set numerous records in the Indian T20 League. Although he was selected for an all-rounder role, Bravo embraced the role of first-choice bowler for Team Chennai.
He is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 183 wickets from 161 fixtures. Of those, 168 wickets came while playing for Team Chennai in 144 matches.
In 2015, he became the first bowler to win two purple caps in the tournament’s history. He also boasts of a good record with the bat, scoring 1560 runs at a strike rate of 130.
Greatest moments in the Indian T20 League
The former West Indies captain has been part of numerous entertaining fixtures in the Indian T20 League, enthralling fans with both his performance on the field and his charismatic personality off the field.
Dwayne Bravo’s greatest moment in the Indian T20 League came in the inaugural fixture of the 2018 season as Team Chennai returned to the tournament after a two-year ban.
Team Mumbai were well on their way to an easy victory when Bravo scored 68 runs off 30 balls to chase down the target and give Team Chennai one of its most memorable victories. The West Indies star has also called this innings his “best-ever” innings in the IPL.
His best bowling performance also came against Team Mumbai in the 2012 edition of the tournament. Team Chennai posted a total of 187 in the first innings, and Team Mumbai had the likes of Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu to chase down the total.
While Albie Morkel removed the threat of Rohit Sharma, it was Dwayne Bravo’s superb three-over spell that saw him take two wickets and conceded just 10 runs that sealed the win for Team Chennai.
Bravo is also known for his signature celebrations on the field, coming up with new dance moves for taking a wicket from time to time. He is fondly known by his fans as DJ Bravo for his dual role as both player and an entertainer – with the star also releasing a song to that effect that became an instant hit.
What’s next for Bravo?
Team Chennai’s purge of its team last month saw them drop Dwayne Bravo ahead of the mini-auction.
While Team Chennai have bought Bravo every single time in the last five auctions, the chances of that repeating seemed to be low as the team was looking for a new direction. Age and declining fitness levels must have played a major part in the star’s exit, and played just 10 matches during the last Indian T20 League season.
Announcing his retirement, Dwayne Bravo released a statement saying that he is looking forward to continuing his journey with Team Chennai in a new role. He already has experience coaching young bowlers, both on and off the field for Team Chennai, and the transition from player to bowling coach might not prove difficult for the superstar.
While the announcement was for one season only, he will likely continue his association with Team Chennai for a while.\
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