Word T20 hero Carlos Brathwaite gets ‘Champions’ welcome with DD

Carlos Brathwaite’s stunning effort in the World T20 final is already having a positive effect on the fans of the IPL franchise Delhi Daredevils. Their CEO Hemant Dua recently stated that the West Indian will bring more fans to the stadium to see the team in action and judging by the way the burly all-rounder was received at the hotel in Delhi, it seems the CEO was spot on. The West Indies began the final over in the summit clash against England, bowled by Ben Stokes, needing 19 runs to win and pulled off the match in astounding fashion thanks to 4 back-to-back maximums off the bat of Brathwaite.

Brathwaite, playing his first major tournament, launched sixes over long leg, long-on, long-off and deep midwicket off the first four balls to complete one of the greatest finishes in the game. He also bowled well and produced an impressive spell of 3/23 that kept England in check. He had also hit a six in the final over against South Africa to take his team over the line in a tense match in Nagpur.

Right after changing to a Delhi Daredevils shirt outside the hotel in Delhi, Brathwaite was received with a packed lobby with fans, hotel staff and team staff singing and dancing to the catchy ‘Champions’ video that has been West Indies’ anthem – so to speak – this past month. Post that, the big man posed for selfies calmly and all smiles before walking off for the press briefing.

Brathwaite was picked by Delhi Daredevils for Rs. 4.2 crores against his brace price of Rs. 30 lakh, after his impressive show in Australia in the Test series. He was initially not picked by the West Indies in the World T20, however, came in as a replacement for the injured Kieron Pollard who cited a lack of sufficient progress in his rehabilitative work. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Brathwaite made a huge impact for his team in the most important match of the tournament.

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