T20 cricket largely translates into explosive batting, but Kolkata Knight Riders mentor Dwayne Bravo reminded his batters on Wednesday that staying aggressive all the time is “not cricket” if the basics are ignored. Their attacking approach has already led to two losses in three games in the IPL and clearly Dwayne Bravo is not impressed with the approach. The defending champions’ highest score this season has been 174/8 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru while they were shot out for just 116 by Mumbai Indians.
A day ahead of the face-off between last year’s finalists – Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad – the points table is making for an interesting read. KKR, Rajasthan Royals and SRH find themselves as the bottom three teams, exactly opposite to how they finished in the league stage last season.
Dwayne Bravo looking to keep KKR set-up positive after MI loss in IPL 2025
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor Dwayne Bravo opened up on ‘home advantage’, saying that teams need to make ‘necessary adjustments’ as per the playing conditions. On Thursday, the Knights are set to lock horns with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their second home match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Earlier, KKR slumped to a heavy seven-wicket defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of the tournament. KKR head coach Chandrakant Pandit had said that teams should have a greater say in getting pitches as per their wishes. But as per Dwayne Bravo, fans play a bigger role in teams getting home advantage.
Former West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, now the mentor of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) addressed a press conference following their loss to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2025 IPL. The right-arm bowler emphasised that the key message to the players is to stay positive and maintain a forward-thinking mindset.
The two-time Purple Cap-winner admitted in the press conference that it is still early in the tournament and that KKR is not the only team to have lost two games and won one. Bravo addressed the importance of trusting instincts and skills while also respecting the opposition. The former West Indies international acknowledged that the oppositions have done their homework and urged his team to recognise this and adapt to the gameplay accordingly.
As they return home after two away fixtures, KKR will be desperate to revive their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad — a team that has twice breached the 280-run mark in two seasons. Dwayne Bravo emphasised on the importance of sticking to the “basics”.
“As far as our batting group, yes, we are an aggressive batting line-up, but that’s not cricket,” Dwayne Bravo said during the pre-match media interaction at Eden Gardens.
“What my message to my team and especially to the batsmen is that the basics of the game are still required. The smarts of the game are still required.”
“These guys need to apply themselves a bit more. So the games that we lose, it’s all learning. When you speak cricket, they get to understand the evidence of why we are failing as a batting group. Now, as coaches, it’s important for us to try to break down the game, simplify it a bit, and trust that cricketing shots are also allowed in T20.”
With two losses in three games, Dwayne Bravo pointed out that six teams have identical win-loss records, suggesting there is no reason to panic.
“It’s still early days in the tournament. We’re not the only team that has two losses and one win. But it’s important for us to bounce back, and that is our main focus right now.”
Rinku Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Ramandeep Singh, and Andre Russell who were instrumental in KKR’s championship-winning campaign last season are yet to hit top form.
However, Dwayne Bravo urged against “judging them” based on just two matches.
“In a tournament where there are 14 games, you don’t judge a player who has had success over the years after just two games. In one game, none of them got to bat.”
“In the IPL, you don’t want or expect any player to be consistent for 14 games. But it’s important to keep encouraging them and reminding them how great they are. They already have success in IPL. And it’s just a matter of backing them.”
Ahead of their clash against SRH, discussions around pitch conditions at Eden Gardens have gained traction, with team management reportedly preparing a “dry surface” to counter SRH’s power-packed batting lineup.
However, Dwayne Bravo downplayed the pitch factor.
“I don’t know much about pitches. For me, you turn up, you play, and the better team on the day will win the game. Whether the pitch is slow, turning, or not turning, my message to the players is always to make the necessary assessment, adjust accordingly, and play to the conditions.”
After Wednesday’s match, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) mentor Zaheer Khan also said that his team didn’t get the pitch they wanted against the Punjab Kings.
After losing to RCB, the Knight Riders made a stupendous comeback, beating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by eight wickets at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. However, they again lost momentum after Mumbai Indians (MI) beat them at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Placed at the bottom of the table with two points and a poor net run rate of -1.428, KKR would be looking to get back to winning ways.
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