Dwayne Bravo, the legendary all-rounder, has bid farewell to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) after sustaining a groin injury during a match against St Lucia Kings. The 40-year-old had initially planned to retire at the end of the 2024 season, but the untimely injury has forced him to end his CPL career prematurely.
Bravo's injury occurred while attempting to catch Kings' captain Faf du Plessis in the seventh over. He immediately left the field and did not bowl a single over in what turned out to be his final CPL game. Despite his injury, Bravo returned to bat at No. 11 in TKR's failed chase of 219. He faced just one ball, which struck his thigh, before retiring hurt, visibly emotional.
"When he pulled up [injured], it looked pretty serious," said TKR captain Kieron Pollard. "He's been a charismatic person and has been inspiring throughout. We just want to tell him thank you very much for all that he has done for cricket."
Bravo's injury is a significant blow to TKR, who were also without Sunil Narine for the match against Kings. Narine is expected to return soon from a quad strain, while Andre Russell's workload is being managed due to a hamstring complaint.
In the absence of Bravo and Narine, Pollard took on the bowling mantle, bowling his full complement of overs for the first time in the CPL since 2022. "I had to take the mantle with DJ [Bravo] going down and Russell isn't 100% fit," Pollard said.
Du Plessis, who played alongside Bravo at Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, paid tribute to the CPL stalwart. "Sad to see DJ Bravo finishing in that way," du Plessis said. "He's obviously someone that I've admired for a long time. He's done so much for everyone around the Caribbean."
Bravo is the most decorated player in the CPL, having won five titles in all, including three with TKR. He led TKR to back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 before captaining St Kitts and Nevis Patriots to their first title in 2021.
Tags: #DwayneBravo, #CPL, #Retirement, #Injury, #Cricket
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