Nicholas Pooran officially named Knight Riders captain after shock international retirement

The 29-year-old former West Indies National Cricket Team batsman Nicholas Pooran has officially been appointed as the new captain of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) for CPL 2025.

Nicholas Pooran has replaced the legendary all-rounder Kieron Pollard as the skipper, as the latter had been at the helm at Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) since 2019.

We're back, we're hungry, we want to win the title - Nicholas Pooran

In June 2025, Nicholas Pooran announced a shock retirement from international cricket, finishing as the most-capped player in T20Is for the West Indies National Cricket Team.

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He retired from international cricket at the age of 29, most likely due to his shift in focus to the global T20 leagues across the world.

He is one of the best batters in 20-over cricket and is in high demand across all the T20 leagues, including IPL, MLC, The Hundred, SA20, CPL, ILT20, and others.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Pooran will be leading a star-studded Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2025 as the squad consists of the likes of Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Alex Hales, and others.

In a video shared by TKR, Nicholas Pooran said that they are absolutely hungry and would be looking to get their hands on the trophy.

"We're back, we're hungry, we want to win the title and most importantly we want to do it for our fans of Trinidad and Tobago and all over the world. Representing Trinidad and Tobago first and foremost is an honour and privilege. Getting the opportunity to captain this year is something that I want to try my best and obviously it's been passed down from Bravo to Polly and then to me," Nicholas Pooran said.

"Everything they have passed down to me I'm getting that opportunity now to, make decisions on the cricket field, if they try to impact the game for us as much as possible, hopefully put it in our favour."

Also Read: Prithvi Shaw officially joins CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team for big tournament

A new sun rises over TKR as 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧 leads us into the future. 👑

Kieron Pollard | Nicholas Pooran | #WeAreTKR | #TrinbagoKnightRiders pic.twitter.com/qrH1VLXh8r

— Trinbago Knight Riders (@TKRiders) August 14, 2025

This year is going to be special for us, come out and support us - Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran further said that leading the players like Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine would be a huge honour for him and urged the fans to support the side. He elaborated:

"So it's a nice feeling because we talk cricket every single day, we play cricket similarly and hopefully this year is our one and we can make it a really memorable one this year for us."

"For me the most satisfying thing is that these guys are still playing and just to lead them on the field, it means a lot to me.

It's an experience that I know for sure I wouldn't forget and just want to put our best foot forward and hopefully everything goes in our favour. This year is going to be special for us, come out and support us regardless, let's team the CPL into Carnival."

It's important as a leader to always plan for the future - Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo recently took over as the head coach of Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), and he lauded Kieron Pollard for stepping away from the leadership role at the right time and passing the baton to Nicholas Pooran. He said:

"It's important as a leader to always plan for the future. Polly and I and I share the same values in life in different ways and the transition now goes down to Nicky P who is someone who's been playing and learning so much cricket and us as players and you know, I think he's the right choice at the right time."

Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard said that it was quite an easy decision for him because with Dwayne Bravo coming on board, a new face leading the side is great. He said:

"So for me it was a sort of a easy decision, you know, after last year, thinking about it with Bravo coming on board, you know, new head coach and I just thought it was good at this is the right time that if we can get a new captain in to continue that transitional period."

"And he understands how we want to play cricket, the winning culture that we want to create, again a homegrown boy and again he shares a lot of respect with a lot of players around the world, not only in Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean. So I think it was very, very easy and it's something that we actually also have been preparing him for and giving him the opportunity to lead the Knight Riders franchise."

🗞️: A Change of Guard takes place in Trinidad.

Hear more from the men in focus! 🔊#WeAreTKR | #TrinbagoKnightRiders pic.twitter.com/T1QabiIftt

— Trinbago Knight Riders (@TKRiders) August 14, 2025

CPL 2025 will start on August 15, with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots taking on Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, and the Trinbago Knight Riders will start their campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on August 17.