# Trinbago Knight Riders
**Trinbago Knight Riders** (TKR) are a professional Twenty20 cricket franchise based in [Trinidad and Tobago](https://www.edgepedia.org/trinidad-and-tobago) that competes in the [Caribbean Premier League](https://www.edgepedia.org/caribbean-premier-league) (CPL), operated by TKR Trinidad Ltd. as one of the league's founding teams.[1](https://www.tkriders.com/terms-and-conditions) Established in 2013 as the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, the franchise was bought in 2015 by the Knight Riders Group of Bollywood star and businessman [Shah Rukh Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/shah-rukh-khan), also co-owner of the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, and renamed ahead of the 2016 season.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) • [3](https://thehistoryofthecaribbeanpremierleaguecpl588012803.wordpress.com/trinibago-knight-riders/) With five CPL titles, TKR are the most successful franchise in the league's history.[4](https://cpl2026.com/trinbago-knight-riders/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| League | Caribbean Premier League (CPL), a professional Twenty20 competition; TKR is one of its founding franchises[1](https://www.tkriders.com/terms-and-conditions) • [4](https://cpl2026.com/trinbago-knight-riders/) |
| Founded | 2013 as Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel; renamed Trinbago Knight Riders ahead of the 2016 season[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) |
| Owner | Knight Riders Group, led by Shah Rukh Khan, which also owns Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) • [5](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/) |
| CPL titles | Five: 2015 (as Red Steel), 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2025, the most of any CPL franchise[6](https://www.ipl.com/cricket/news/cpl-20132026-most-successful-captains-titles-and-records/) • [7](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/135689/trinbago-knight-riders-caribbean-premier-league-2025-final-champions) |
| Most recent title | 2025 final, beating Guyana Amazon Warriors by 3 wickets at Providence Stadium on 21 September 2025[8](https://www.espn.com/cricket/series/8623/report/1478005/guyana-amazon-warriors-vs-trinbago-knight-riders-final-cpl) |
| Home ground | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad[5](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/) |
| Captain (CPL 2026) | Nicholas Pooran[5](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/) |
| Women's side | Trinbago Knight Riders Women compete in the Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL)[9](https://wcplt20.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders-womens/) |
## Origins as the Red Steel
The franchise entered the CPL in its inaugural 2013 season as the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, one of the first teams in the league.[4](https://cpl2026.com/trinbago-knight-riders/) The side reached the semi-finals of the inaugural tournament in 2013 and again the following year.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) In 2015, playing as the Red Steel, the team won its first championship, defeating the 2014 champions Barbados Tridents in the final on home soil.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) • [10](https://archives.newsday.co.tt/2016/06/16/bravo-rallies-knight-riders-fans/)
## Knight Riders ownership and rebrand
In 2015, [Red Chillies Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-chillies-entertainment), the company headed by Shah Rukh Khan, purchased a significant stake in the Red Steel, making it the first CPL team owned by an IPL franchise owner.[3](https://thehistoryofthecaribbeanpremierleaguecpl588012803.wordpress.com/trinibago-knight-riders/) • [11](https://west-indies-cricket.fandom.com/wiki/Trinbago_Knight_Riders) Ahead of the 2016 season the team was renamed Trinbago Knight Riders, a name chosen to align the franchise with the [Kolkata Knight Riders](https://www.edgepedia.org/kolkata-knight-riders) brand and to reflect unity between Trinidad and Tobago.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) • [4](https://cpl2026.com/trinbago-knight-riders/) Venky Mysore, chief executive of KKR, described the acquisition as part of a vision to expand the Knight Riders brand globally, and Khan said he did not expect the team to lose its local flavor.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/) One early move under the new ownership was acquiring off-spinner [Sunil Narine](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunil-narine) from the Guyana Amazon Warriors, reuniting him with the KKR brand he represents in the IPL.[2](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/)
The Knight Riders Group has since grown into a multi-franchise operation. By 2018 it ran three T20 teams: Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, and the Cape Town Knight Riders in South Africa's Global T20 League.[12](https://newsday.co.tt/2018/08/16/knight-riders-kingdom/) The group routes coaching staff, analytics, and squad-building philosophy among its franchises on four continents.[5](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/)
## On-field record
**Early TKR titles.** Under Khan's ownership the team won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018, becoming the most successful team in CPL history at that point.[3](https://thehistoryofthecaribbeanpremierleaguecpl588012803.wordpress.com/trinibago-knight-riders/) The 2018 title was sealed with a commanding eight-wicket victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Academy, with the bowling attack doing most of the work as the Warriors suffered a dramatic batting collapse; it was Guyana's fourth CPL final loss.[13](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/89/64/04878/09-18-2018.pdf) A fourth title followed in 2020, a season in which the team at one stage recorded nine wins from nine matches.[14](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/89/64/05595/09-06-2020.pdf)
**The 2025 championship.** TKR entered the 2025 season chasing a first title in five years and delivered it in a tense, low-scoring final at [Providence Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/providence-stadium), Guyana, on 21 September 2025.[7](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/135689/trinbago-knight-riders-caribbean-premier-league-2025-final-champions) Restricted to chasing 131 after Guyana made 130 for 8, TKR wobbled to 116 for 7 before Akeal Hosein, named Player of the Match, finished the game with a six and four in consecutive balls off Gudakesh Motie, finishing 16 not out off seven balls; he had earlier taken two wickets.[8](https://www.espn.com/cricket/series/8623/report/1478005/guyana-amazon-warriors-vs-trinbago-knight-riders-final-cpl) [Kieron Pollard](https://www.edgepedia.org/kieron-pollard) hit three sixes in an over of [Imran Tahir](https://www.edgepedia.org/imran-tahir)'s leg spin during the chase, and the spin trio of Hosein (2/26), Usman Tariq (1/18), and Sunil Narine (0/30) had choked the Warriors' middle overs.[15](https://cplt20.prezly.com/knight-riders-edge-warriors-in-thrilling-final) Tahir finished the tournament as leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps.[15](https://cplt20.prezly.com/knight-riders-edge-warriors-in-thrilling-final)
Across the league's first decade and more, TKR's five titles put them clearly ahead of the field; the next most successful franchise, the Jamaica Tallawahs, has three.[6](https://www.ipl.com/cricket/news/cpl-20132026-most-successful-captains-titles-and-records/) The franchise is also the only one to win the tournament across four separate title-winning eras: the 2015 Red Steel breakthrough, the 2017 to 2020 dynasty years, and the 2025 win.[16](https://cplschedule.com/cpl-history/)
## Players
TKR squads have regularly combined West Indian stars with international T20 specialists. The 2020 squad included [Dwayne Bravo](https://www.edgepedia.org/dwayne-bravo), Kieron Pollard, Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Tim Seifert, Darren Bravo, and [Sikandar Raza](https://www.edgepedia.org/sikandar-raza), all established T20 players.[17](https://www.mykhel.com/cricket/cpl-2020-analysis-trinbago-knight-riders-strength-weakness-squad-stars-to-watch-prediction-148948.html) New Zealand batter Colin Munro is one of the most impactful overseas players in the franchise's history and the first player to surpass the 2,000-run mark for the CPL side.[18](https://www.crickettoday.com/domestic-cricket-teams/trinbago-knight-riders/) In 2018, both Knight Riders franchises, Kolkata and Trinbago, opened the batting with [Chris Lynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-lynn) and Sunil Narine, players known for quick starts and boundary-hitting.[19](https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1170636/the-six-hitting-team)
Dwayne Bravo, a Trinidadian regarded among the most successful all-rounders in T20 cricket, is closely associated with the franchise's leadership era, and the captaincy later passed to [Nicholas Pooran](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicholas-pooran), who led the side in CPL 2026.[3](https://thehistoryofthecaribbeanpremierleaguecpl588012803.wordpress.com/trinibago-knight-riders/) • [5](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/)
## Women's team
The Trinbago Knight Riders brand extends to a women's side in the Women's Caribbean Premier League, a competition created for the region's best female cricketers.[9](https://wcplt20.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders-womens/) • [20](https://cplt20.prezly.com/local-players-confirmed-for-wcpl-following-draft) Deandra Dottin captained TKR Women to the championship title in the inaugural WCPL season in 2021.[21](https://clatbuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/THE-CLAT-POST-JULY-2024.pdf) In July 2024 the franchise announced former India fast bowler [Jhulan Goswami](https://www.edgepedia.org/jhulan-goswami), who played 20 years for India before retiring in 2022, as mentor of the women's team ahead of that year's WCPL.[22](https://www.tkriders.com/news/jhulan-goswami-joins-trinbago-knight-riders-women-as-mentor) • [23](https://newsday.co.tt/2024/08/27/tkr-mentor-goswami-massy-womens-cpl-a-pathway-for-girls/) In the 2026 WCPL, a four-team competition hosted in Barbados, TKR Women reached the final, where the Guyana Amazon Warriors Women edged past them.[20](https://cplt20.prezly.com/local-players-confirmed-for-wcpl-following-draft) • [24](https://www.tkriders.com/)
## References
1. [Terms and Conditions, Trinbago Knight Riders](https://www.tkriders.com/terms-and-conditions)
2. [Red Steel renamed Trinbago Knight Riders, Stabroek News (11 February 2016)](https://www.stabroeknews.com/2016/02/11/sports/red-steel-renamed-trinbago-knight-riders/)
3. [Trinbago Knight Riders, The History of the Caribbean Premier League](https://thehistoryofthecaribbeanpremierleaguecpl588012803.wordpress.com/trinibago-knight-riders/)
4. [Trinbago Knight Riders, CPL 2026 profile](https://cpl2026.com/trinbago-knight-riders/)
5. [Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL 2026): Squad, Titles, Owner & Queen's Park Oval, Cricscope](https://thecricscope.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders/)
6. [CPL (2013–2026): Most Successful Captains, Titles and Records](https://www.ipl.com/cricket/news/cpl-20132026-most-successful-captains-titles-and-records/)
7. [Trinbago Knight Riders Caribbean Premier League 2025 final champions, Cricbuzz](https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/135689/trinbago-knight-riders-caribbean-premier-league-2025-final-champions)
8. [Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Trinbago Knight Riders, CPL 2025 Final, ESPNcricinfo](https://www.espn.com/cricket/series/8623/report/1478005/guyana-amazon-warriors-vs-trinbago-knight-riders-final-cpl)
9. [Trinbago Knight Riders Womens, WCPL T20](https://wcplt20.com/teams/trinbago-knight-riders-womens/)
10. [Bravo rallies Knight Riders fans, Newsday (16 June 2016)](https://archives.newsday.co.tt/2016/06/16/bravo-rallies-knight-riders-fans/)
11. [Trinbago Knight Riders, West Indies Cricket Wiki](https://west-indies-cricket.fandom.com/wiki/Trinbago_Knight_Riders)
12. [Knight Riders kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago Newsday (16 August 2018)](https://newsday.co.tt/2018/08/16/knight-riders-kingdom/)
13. [The Barbados Advocate (18 September 2018)](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/89/64/04878/09-18-2018.pdf)
14. [Established October 1895 newspaper archive (6 September 2020)](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/89/64/05595/09-06-2020.pdf)
15. [Knight Riders edge Warriors in thrilling final, CPL T20 (22 September 2025)](https://cplt20.prezly.com/knight-riders-edge-warriors-in-thrilling-final)
16. [CPL History: Full Story, Winners List & Records (2026)](https://cplschedule.com/cpl-history/)
17. [CPL 2020: Team analysis: Trinbago Knight Riders, myKhel](https://www.mykhel.com/cricket/cpl-2020-analysis-trinbago-knight-riders-strength-weakness-squad-stars-to-watch-prediction-148948.html)
18. [Trinbago Knight Riders, Cricket Today](https://www.crickettoday.com/domestic-cricket-teams/trinbago-knight-riders/)
19. [The six-hitting team, The Cricket Monthly](https://www.thecricketmonthly.com/story/1170636/the-six-hitting-team)
20. [Local players confirmed for WCPL following draft, CPL T20](https://cplt20.prezly.com/local-players-confirmed-for-wcpl-following-draft)
21. [The CLAT Post, July 2024](https://clatbuddy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/THE-CLAT-POST-JULY-2024.pdf)
22. [Jhulan Goswami joins Trinbago Knight Riders Women as Mentor, tkriders.com](https://www.tkriders.com/news/jhulan-goswami-joins-trinbago-knight-riders-women-as-mentor)
23. [TKR mentor Goswami: Massy Women's CPL a pathway for girls, Newsday (27 August 2024)](https://newsday.co.tt/2024/08/27/tkr-mentor-goswami-massy-womens-cpl-a-pathway-for-girls/)
24. [Trinbago Knight Riders official site](https://www.tkriders.com/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Cricket › Cricket people and teams › Teams and sporting organizations › T20 and franchise league teams*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license