Dwayne Bravo Becomes Head Coach; Tim David Joins New Team in CPL 2025

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025 draft saw several big names join new teams. Some fan favorites are returning, while some new faces are set to feature in the league for the first time. St Lucia Kings, the defending champions, have made a major signing in the tournament draft. Along with the Kings, Trinbago Knight Riders, and the other teams also made some changes in their respective squads.

Dwayne Bravo, who played in the league as a player last season, is now TKR's head coach. The Knight Riders also signed a couple of players from Pakistan for this season. The CPL is one of the oldest T20 tournaments in the world. The tournament plays a key role in the growth of T20 cricket in the West Indies and has plenty of followers within the Caribbean nations.

CPL 2025 Draft: Tim David, Tabraiz Shamsi to St. Lucia Kings

The Kings picked Australian power-hitter and IPL champion Tim David in the first round, along with South Africa’s top spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. However, the Kings will miss having their captain, Faf du Plessis, this year. Faf helped them win their first title last season but opted to participate in The Hundred in England instead. He will play for Southern Brave, a team which is reportedly soon to be owned by IPL franchise Delhi Capitals’ co-owners, the GMR Group.

Meanwhile, Moeen Ali, who retired from international cricket last year, has decided to skip The Hundred. Instead, he will play for Guyana Amazon Warriors as he was re-signed by the team in the seventh round. The Warriors also retained Imran Tahir, as the 46-year-old was their first-round pick.

CPL 2025 Draft: TKR Sign Pakistan Players

As per the CPL 2025 draft, four-time champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) have also made key additions to their squad. They signed Mohammad Amir and Usman Tariq from Pakistan. Tariq, an off-spinner, will debut in the Caribbean Premier League in the upcoming season. Amir, a left-arm pacer, has played for Jamaica Tallawahs and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons before.

Trinbago Knight Riders also brought back Colin Munro, their highest run-scorer, as an eighth-round pick. Munro has scored 2178 runs in 72 innings for the team in the past. Even though he has retired from international cricket, he remains active in T20 leagues.

Trinbago Knight Riders also welcomed back Darren Bravo while retaining their stars Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, and Andre Russell. Dwayne Bravo will take over as the team’s new head coach.

Shakib Al Hasan, Imad Wasim Go To Antigua and Barbuda Falcons

The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons picked Imad Wasim in the first round, along with Shakib Al Hasan in the second round. Notably, Shakib holds the record for the best bowling figures in a CPL match with 6 wickets for 6 runs in 4 overs back in 2013. They also signed Afghanistan’s Naveen-ul-Haq along with AM Ghazanfar, who recently impressed in the T20 Blast in England and was picked by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League 2025. He joins Naveen-ul-Haq at the Falcons.

Waqar Salamkheil, a left-arm wrist spinner, moved to St Kitts & Nevis Patriots from TKR, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman returned to Barbados Royals, where he once took 10 wickets in 7 games at an economy of 6.11. He will be joined by the impactful all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai in the team. New Zealand’s big-hitter Bevon Jacobs will also play for the Falcons for the first time. He previously played for Mumbai Indians and the MI Emirates. Glenn Phillips has joined Amazon Warriors, as Tim Seifert stays with the Kings.