Dwayne Bravo‘s greatest contribution to this Kolkata Knight Riders campaign as a mentor to the side is not visible on the scorecard or wickets column. Much of the work with a young fast bowling group is in the conversations after training, in the one-on-one sessions under lights, in the confidence young fast bowlers carry into the death overs, believing they belong there. For years, DJ Bravo has weaponised the slower ball better than almost anyone in T20 cricket. When Lungi Ngidi recently revealed that the dipping slower ball he now uses was learnt from Bravo during their Chennai Super Kings days, it offered a glimpse into the invisible legacy the West Indian continues to build.
At KKR this season, Bravo’s work with the fast bowlers has been deeply personal, hands-on and rooted less in mechanics and more in understanding the game itself.
“Yeah, I’m very hands-on, especially since Lungi talked about that. Everyone wants me to teach them that slower ball. Thanks, Lungi,” Bravo said with a laugh.
For Bravo, the art was never just in the wrist position or the grip.
“It’s one of my strengths when I used to play, but also what was my strength was my ability to read and understand the game. And for me, that is what I try to coach more than anything else.”
Bravo’s philosophy feels refreshingly human. He is not merely teaching bowlers how to execute variations; he is teaching them how to think.
“Because the slower ball is one thing, but it’s knowing when to bowl a slower ball, who to bowl it to, the build-up to bowling a slower ball. So all of these things are factors. They don’t just bowl a slower ball. So there’s a lot of thinking behind it and you have to practice it a lot.”
That mentorship has quietly shaped KKR’s bowling unit this season. While the franchise’s position on the points table has fluctuated- 3 wins in 9 games, Bravo remains deeply protective of the bowling group – particularly through the middle and death overs where KKR have consistently remained competitive.
“The good thing is, if you look at the stats throughout the IPL season, KKR is one of the better bowling groups. Especially from overs 7-20 because of our spin attack. We have three of the best quality spinners in the tournament. And also our seamers.”
Alongside bowling coach Tim Southee, Bravo has built training sessions around realism rather than repetition.
“We try to teach and coach real game-time things that they expect to happen in a game and get our bowlers to practice like that in practice, so that when game time comes, they are prepared for it.”
And perhaps nowhere is Bravo’s impact more visible than in the younger Indian quicks around him. There is genuine warmth in the way he speaks about them
On Karthik Tyagi, Bravo said: “Tyagi is someone who loves to learn. He asks a lot of questions, a lot of energy. Sometimes you have to tell him as coaches, ‘Please rest, take it easy.’ He says, ‘No sir, no sir, I want to bowl, I want to bowl.'”
He mentions Vaibhav Arora‘s work at the back end of innings. He talks about Umran Malik still “working very hard” despite opportunities not arriving this season. He even revealed a recent one-on-one session with Matheesha Pathirana focused on creating “a specific one to dip.”
A coach with empathy, DJ Bravo explains what he believes these bowlers really need.
“All these guys, all they needed was guidance and to feel loved and to feel appreciated. And that’s what my job is, to make sure that these guys are protected and they learn as they go along in the game.” Bravo understands that young fast bowlers do not just need skill correction; they need reassurance. They need someone who knows what failure in front of crazy home fans feel like. Someone who has survived it himself. And perhaps that is why the slower ball has become symbolic of something larger at KKR this season.
KKR is currently placed in the 8th spot on the league table, with every match a knock out. On Friday they face off against Delhi Capitals.
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