CPL 2025
Pooran was TKR’s leading run-scorer last season © Getty
Nicholas Pooran has been named captain of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the 2025 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), succeeding Kieron Pollard in the role.
Pollard’s tenure spanned six editions since 2019 and yielded a CPL title in 2020, with two further playoff appearances to go with it. The 38-year-old will remain part of the playing squad, with former skipper Dwayne Bravo returning as head coach in place of Phil Simmons, who is now the Bangladesh head coach.
On the leadership role, 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. It’s a responsibility that has been passed on from (Dwayne) Bravo (2013-2019) to Pollard (2019-2024) and now to me. 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.
“I started my career at the age of 17 right here, playing for T&T Red Steel, where Bravo was my captain. Then, after recovering from a career-threatening accident I suffered in 2015, Pollard picked me in the Barbados franchise, where he was my captain. All three of us finally ended up together at TKR a couple of years back, and even though we haven’t won a title together yet, I’m hopeful that we can do it this year.”
Pooran, who holds the record as the youngest debutant in CPL history at 17, has scored over 9,000 runs across global T20 leagues at a strike rate of nearly 149. He was TKR’s leading run-scorer last season with 504 runs in 11 matches at an average of 56.
Pollard said: “I got an opportunity to lead my home franchise for the last six years, and 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 is the right time to get a new captain in. Pooran is homegrown, and I think this is the right opportunity for him. We’ve actually been preparing him for this over the years. I don’t know how much longer I’m going to 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. So for me, it was an easy decision to hand over the captaincy to Pooran.”
Bravo added: “When it comes to leadership, it’s important to plan for the future. 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 is 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. Until I retired (in 2024), it was good to play under his captaincy, someone I regard as one of the best leaders in this format. Pollard and myself, we share similar values in life, on and off the field.
“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. Just like I did six years ago, Pollard has now decided to hand over the leadership to someone who we think is on the verge of being one of the greatest T20 players. We want to make sure that we’re there to support him and give him everything he needs to embark on this journey.”
TKR begin their season against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park on August 17.
© Cricbuzz
