12 July 2024: Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) announced former Indian cricket legend Jhulan Goswami as the mentor of their women’s team ahead of the 2024 Women’s Caribbean Premier League.
“It’s an honor to join such a quality franchise,” said Goswami, the former speedster from Kolkata. “Knight Riders have done so well in India and around the world, and to join TKR Women at the WCPL is a pleasure. Thanks to KKR management for thinking about me as a mentor and I’m really looking forward to this tournament.”
Legend. Icon. Now our Mentor! 🫡
— Trinbago Knight Riders (@TKRiders) July 12, 2024
Welcome to #TrinbagoKnightRiders, @JhulanG10! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OV1u8UL7IM
In an illustrious international career spanning 20 years, Goswami bagged 355 wickets across formats for India before retiring from the sport in 2022.
She will be seen in the role of mentor to a team led by star-allrounder Deandra Dottin, who captained TKR Women to the championship title in the inaugural season of WCPL in 2021.
The Knight Riders management recently added international superstars Jemimah Rodrigues, Meg Lanning, Jess Jonassen and Shikha Pandey to the squad, in a quest to lift a second WCPL trophy when the action begins in Trinidad & Tobago this August.
Goswami added: “The conversation about me joining TKR started with Mr. Venky Mysore. As a management head, the way he takes care of everyone is amazing. I felt really honored by the way both Shah Rukh Khan and Venky sir welcomed me and spoke to me when we met in Kolkata during the IPL.”
Speaking on Goswami’s addition to the TKR setup, Venky Mysore, CEO of the Knight Riders group said: “Jhulan Goswami is an absolute legend of the game, and we are very happy to have her on board as the mentor of the TKR Women’s team. TKR is a very proud unit, with five championship titles between the men’s and women’s teams over the last 10 years.”
“We strongly believe that under Jhulan’s mentorship, the team will reach greater heights. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the youngsters to pick Jhulan’s brains and learn from her experiences to become better cricketers themselves. We would like to wish her all the best, and look forward to seeing her in the TKR setup soon.”
TKR Women will play four league matches (vs Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors) from August 22-, with the final scheduled for August 29 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.
TKR Women’s squad for WCPL 2024:
Retained Caribbean Players: Deandra Dottin (c), Kycia Knight (wk), Shamila Connell, Zaida James, Samara Ramnath; New Signings: Meg Lanning, Jemimah Rodrigues, Jess Jonassen, Shikha Pandey; Note: The remaining six slots in the 15-member squad will be filled in the WCPL Draft in July.