Dwayne Bravo leaves KKR camp mid-IPL 2026 for Maldives vacation

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) mentor and T20 bowling legend Dwayne Bravo appears to have taken a vacation in the middle of IPL 2026.

In the wee hours of the morning of April 28, Bravo shared an image of a resort pool on his Instagram story and wrote "Maldives night". The move has largely left fans befuddled as KKR have been struggling in IPL 2026.

Dwayne Bravo as mentor

In late 2024, Dwayne Bravo ended his association with Chennai Super Kings as their bowling coach and joined KKR as a mentor starting IPL 2025.

Bravo retired from all forms of cricket and soon took the mentor job in KKR's sister franchises - Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in the ILT20, Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, and Los Angeles Knight Riders in the MLC - as well. With TKR, Bravo won three CPL trophies as a captain and one as a player, as well as one as a mentor.

Under Bravo as a mentor, though, KKR finished 8th in IPL 2025 and are at the same position in IPL 2026, with just 2 wins in 8 matches.

Bravo's legendary T20 career

To date, Dwayne Bravo is the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of T20 cricket despite retiring one and a half years ago. He was usurped from the top by Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan in January 2025.

Apart from his legendary bowling in the death-overs in T20s, Bravo is also known for his knack for winning T20 trophies. In all, Bravo has won 17 official T20 titles - most notably, the Caribbean Premier League five times (including four as captain), the IPL thrice (all with CSK), and the T20 World Cup twice. Only fellow Trinidadian Kieron Pollard has more T20 trophies.

Bravo's Instagram story can be seen here

📲 Instagram Story of DJ Bravo :

— Looks like he’s gone to the Maldives 🤨 pic.twitter.com/j4JtGPQT8L

— KKR Karavan (@KkrKaravan) April 28, 2026

Previous controversies by IPL mentors

Dwayne Bravo isn't the first mentor to take on a controversy by leaving in the middle of an IPL season. In 2025, former England skipper and Delhi Capitals mentor Kevin Pietersen had indulged in a trip to the island nation.

Despite DC's season hanging in the balance, Pietersen took a vacation and was even trolled by DC's players for it once he returned. He is no longer continuing in the role.

Also Read: Punishment incoming? Delhi Capitals co-owner issues official statement after humiliation vs RCB

KKR struggle in IPL 2026

In this year's IPL, KKR have struggled right from the start. After getting no wins in their first six matches, they managed to win two in a row, but are still in eighth place.

Of the two matches they have won in IPL 2025, one was in a thrilling Super Over against bottom-placed LSG.

KKR will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad on May 3. KKR have already lost to SRH once this season, by a very big margin of 65 runs. That match was in their own home ground of Kolkata.

It remains to be seen if Dwayne Bravo will return before KKR's next match.