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RECENTLY appointed coach of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), Imran Jan, said on Monday that he is “comfortable” in the hot seat, as his franchise squad prepare to begin the defence of their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title.
The TKR, who won every game as they secured the 2020 crown, will face Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2021 curtain-raiser on Thursday, from 10 am.
Each game will be contested at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.
During a Zoom media conference on Monday, the 42-year-old Jan said, “I’ve been in the system for eight years. I’ve been lucky to have some great coaches around me. I’ve learnt a lot from them. I don’t feel like I’m in a hot seat because of the time I’ve been here at TKR.”
The previous coaches of the TKR were West Indies legend Sir Gordon Greenidge (2013), Simon Helmot (2014-2016), fellow Australian Simon Katich (2017-2018) and former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum (2019-2020).
Jan continued, “The gentlemen who have been here previously and, more recently, in McCullum, have made me express myself in various roles. For me, it’s a step up but I’m very comfortable in his position.”
McCullum was unavailable for the 2021 CPL due to personal reasons and covid19-related travel restrictions, according to a media release on Saturday.
Team captain Kieron Pollard, his deputy Sunil Narine, New Zealand batsman Colin Munro and Pakistan-born United States fast bowler Ali Khan joined the team on Sunday, while teenage fast bowler Jayden Seales and Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah will fly to St Kitts, from Jamaica, after the second Test between the West Indies and Pakistan.
Jan, the former Trinidad and Tobago top-order batsman and off-spinner, said, “We’ve built up a good set of vibes within the camp, good energy. So far, we’ve had a lot of activities. We’ve had a practice session so the guys are in good spirits and we’re up for it.”
Former TKR skipper Dwayne Bravo was traded to the St Kitts/Nevis Patriots, with ex-WI captain Denesh Ramdin returning to the TKR fold.
“It’ll be remiss of me if (I) don’t mention Dwayne Bravo and how integral he has been with regards to the success of Trinbago Knight Riders,” said Jan. “He will be missed because of his general disposition, which is always full of energy and vibes, but more importantly he’s the highest wicket-taker in CPL (106). But we’ve got some reserves who are well-equipped to fill his slot.”
Asked about the reserves, especially in the “death overs” (16th-20th), Jan replied, “We’ve got (Sri Lanka’s Isuru) Udana, Kieron, Tion Webster, and Munro. We’ve got some options available to us, in terms of skillset. We have some guys who can cover those bases.”
Ramdin is one of three specialist wicketkeepers in the TKR squad, along with New Zealand’s Tim Siefert, who was a member of the 2020 title-winning team, and debutant Leonardo Julien.
“It adds strength on the bench,” was Jan’s view on the trio of glovemen. “We’re excited to have Ramdin (back) in the set-up. He brings that level of experience and all those years (of competing) in the CPL. It gives us a lot of options.”
For the second straight year, the CPL will be staged in one country. In 2020, the matches were held here in Trinidad – at the Queen’s Park Oval, St Clair and Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba.
This year’s edition is set to conclude on September 15.
“It’s going to be intense,” said the TKR coach. “It’s something we’re conscious of, as a staff, with regards to therapy because we all know how high-intensity the games are. The recovery is going to be important. We’ve going to manage the players properly.”
With regards to Thursday’s opening match, Jan said, “(We’re) always excited to play against Guyana. It’s always been a rivalry that we look forward to. The guys are up for the challenge.”
Are the TKR keen to repeat the 100 per cent record that they achieved last year? Jan replied, “We’re conscious of that. We’re not going to pay too much mind over what happened last year. We played each game one at a time, tick all the boxes. Once we can do that, I don’t see any reason why we can’t do it again.”
Trinbago Knight Riders squad: Kieron Pollard (captain), Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Yasir Shah, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Isuru Udana, Tim Seifert, Anderson Phillip, Denesh Ramdin, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Leonardo Julien, Ali Khan.
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