Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo recently picked up his 500th wicket in the T20 format, a stylish all-rounder and an acrobatic fielder with some Caribbean flair. Famous for being a street-smart cricket, Bravo is known for his death bowling prowess and for his ability to keep the scoreboard ticking. Coming from Trinidad, Bravo wanted to walk in the footsteps of Brian Lara and was first picked for the West Indies in 2004. He made his Test debut that year at Lord’s and showed that he was a player for the future with a few promising performances. Later that year, he was also a part of the West Indies side that won the ICC Champions Trophy in England. Then, on his first tour to Australia, he hit a memorable Test ton against a bowling attack comprising Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. After the retirement of Lara, Bravo became one of the senior players in the West Indies team and even captained them in a couple of Test matches. However, by 2010, he moved away from the Test scene and only featured in the limited-overs format. Considered as one of the most entertaining players of the world, this Caribbean player played for Mumbai Indians in the first three editions of the Indian Premier League. He then went on to ply his trade for Chennai Super Kings ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2011 and has been one of the core members of the team. Post-2014, Bravo faced injuries and was eventually left out of the squad as Jason Holder was made the skipper of the ODI team. Bravo then announced his retirement in Tests in 2015. However, he went on to participate for his country in ODIs and T20Is, even winning the World T20 title in 2016. Bravo could have been the biggest match-winner for West Indies but one will have to say the West Indies Board certainly underutilized his special talent. After that, he realized that his rift with the board will not end, he finally bid adieu to the game and decided to play as a freelancer. Bravo’s value was sky high and when all the cricket-playing nations announced the leagues, Bravo became their number one choice, and more often than not he paid dividends. Bravo has played for a mind-boggling 20 T20 franchises around the world and has over 500 wickets and 6500 runs. He has played in all the leagues and has represented Mumbai Indians, Chennai Superkings, and Gujarat Lions at the IPL, while Essex and Kent at the county cricket in England, Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Sixers at the Big Bash League(BBL) and has been associated with T20 teams from Bangladesh, Pakistan and South Africa as well. He adds colour to the sport with his cricketing skills and electric presence, but he is also a flamboyant person who entertains fans with his celebrations of winning a game or taking a wicket. (As of June 2021)