T20 leagues bring players closer - Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo may not count the Australians among his best friends but the hostility that was seen in West Indies' celebrations after they beat George Bailey's side in the World T20 was limited to the field, according to the allrounder. Bravo credited that to T20 leagues such as the Big Bash League and the IPL, which he felt had improved relationships between cricketers of different countries. As an example, Bravo said he had discussed the BBL with his Australian opponents at their common hotel in Dhaka a couple of days after their tense World T20 match.

"We are all professional cricketers. They want to win and they will do whatever it takes to try and get a win," Bravo said. "Sometimes, we use it for motivation and some other teams retaliate. We are not a side that retaliates. We try and prepare well and be expressive on the cricket field. At the hotel, we see each other, meet each other and have a quick chat. We may not be best of friends or go out for dinner.

"Obviously that happened in the field. (Sunday) morning, I was having a chat with [Brad] Haddin, [Aaron] Finch and [David] Warner about the Big Bash League. Speaking for myself, we are all good friends off the cricket field. I play a lot with them in the Big Bash. That game was really heated. We really needed to win. We were better placed in the group than them, but the comments before the game played up a bit, but that happens on the field.

"We play together for the Big Bash and the IPL and some of them come and play in the Caribbean Premier League too. With all these leagues in the world, you end up developing a better relationship."

Bravo pointed to the cordial manner in which West Indies play India and said that was one of the benefits of the IPL, apart from the monetary returns for players. "Look at the India-West Indies games, the relationship is like one love and it's like one country playing.

"Thanks to the IPL, it allows that. It's a good thing for international cricketers. Apart from money, it also brings you closer to another cricketer from another country and become friends."