Pooran takes on TKR captaincy

The reigns of captaincy within the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) have been passed on to one of the world’s leading players, Nicholas Pooran, for the upcoming Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025.

Pooran takes over the mantle from Kieron Pollard, who has led the side since 2019 and guided them to their most recent and record fourth title in 2020.

In accepting the leadership role via a TKR media release announcing the development on Thursday, Pooran said, “It means a lot, first and foremost, to represent Trinbago Knight Riders. It is a privilege that I’m getting the opportunity to lead this franchise. I want to give it my best shot, and hopefully make as many correct decisions as I can.”

Pooran follows in the footsteps of former captains and personal friends Pollard, who is TKR’s most senior player, and former captain-turned TKR head coach Dwayne Bravo, who led the side from 2013 to 2019.

“For me, the most satisfying thing is that Pollard is still playing, Sunil (Narine) and Andre (Russell) are here too. That’s a lot of experience I can bank on. To lead them on the field—it means a lot to me,” said Pooran.

Venky Mysore, CEO of Knight Rider Sports, the umbrella company which owns TKR, said the choice of Pooran for the captaincy role was straightforward, “Nicholas will carry the leadership baton forward in a smooth transition from Kieron Pollard. Pooran understands our winning culture and the responsibility that comes with leading this franchise. As he teams up with Head Coach (Champion) Bravo, we are excited to see them teaming up for hopefully, another successful season for TKR.”

No stranger to leadership as one of the most sought-after players on the global T20 franchise scene, Pooran currently captains the Mumbai Indians (MI) New York franchise in Major League Cricket (MLC) and also leads the Mumbai Indians (MI) Emirates in the International League T20 (ILT20) in the United Arab Emirates. Previously, he also captained the West Indies in limited-overs formats from May 2022 to November 2022.

The talented 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter holds the record as the youngest player to debut in the CPL, making his first appearance for the then Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel in 2013 at the age of 17. Since then, he has amassed 2,447 runs from 114 CPL matches while representing three teams, playing for the Barbados Royals for one season in 2016 and Guyana Amazon Warriors (2019-2021) before rejoining the T&T franchise in 2022.

In the 2024 season, Pooran was at his brilliant best for TKR, smashing 504 runs in 11 matches at an average of 56.00, reaffirming his ability to dominate any attack.

Across an exceptional career, Pooran has evolved into one of the most destructive batters in the game, with over 9,000 runs across global T20 leagues with a strike rate hovering around 149.

Bravo: TKR planning for the future

Incoming head coach Dwayne Bravo said it is not unlike the TKR franchise to make bold leadership decisions, and the appointment of Pooran follows that trend. Bravo who retired from cricket during last year’s CPL said, “Once I felt I had achieved enough as the captain of Red Steel (2013, 2014) and TKR (2015 to 2019), I wanted to see who was the next best person to take over, to make sure that the legacy continues and the franchise remains in safe hands. At that time, Pollard was the best person for that role. In that same way, we are now transitioning to Pooran, who is someone who has been playing and learning a lot about cricket from us as players. He’s the right choice, and this is the right time.”

Pollard uncertain on playing future

At 38, Pollard is the eldest statesman in the TKR team this season, and as the second-highest run-getter in T20 cricket history, he certainly lends a lot of experience to the CPL’s most successful franchise, which goes in search of a fifth title this season.

While making way for Pooran as captain, Pollard was gracious and grateful to have skippered TKR and said, “It has been special walking out leading Trinbago Knight Riders in front of packed stadiums around the Caribbean. I believe grooming the next generation is very important. With Bravo coming on board this year as the new head coach, we felt this was the right time to get a new captain in.”

“I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna be playing for, but I’m happy for the opportunity to still be on the field and help Nicholas ease into this role. He’s someone who we’ve seen grow in front of us, and he understands our values and principles. He understands how we want to play cricket, he understands the winning culture that we want to create, and he shares a lot of respect with a lot of players around the world.”

TKR will begin their 2025 CPL campaign against St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park on August 17.