Overview

Nicholas Pooran’s Journey to Cricket is a story of pain, hope, and inspiration. Considered a prodigy at a very young age, Pooran’s career nearly got halted due to a serious car accident. The cricketer really showed great determination to bounce back from the injury to not only cement his place in the West Indies team but also become one of the leading T20 players.

Cricket career 

Nicholas Pooran made a rapid rise through junior cricket, earning a contract with the Trinidad Red Steel during the 2013 Caribbean Premier League. The wicketkeeper batsman was just 16 years old, making him the youngest ever player to play in the CPL. A year later, he went on to play for the West Indies in the U-19 World Cup, where he finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer. The same year, he made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago.

However, tragedy struck after the event when he was involved in a serious car accident, leaving him with serious injuries. He returned from the injury in 2016 and immediately made an impact during the 2016 CPL season. The left-hander finished the tournament with 217 runs in the eight matches, forcing the selectors to give him a call-up to the national team.

West Indies career

Nicholas Pooran made his debut for the West Indies in 2016 against Pakistan in Dubai. His breakthrough season in the T20I format came in late 2018. The left-hander hit his first half-century for the West Indies off just 24 balls against India in Chennai.

Two years later, Pooran went on to make his ODI debut against England at Bridgetown. During the 2019 World Cup, Pooran went on to score his maiden hundred against Sri Lanka and finished the tournament with 367 runs at an average of 52.42. While being part of the West Indies team, Pooran has had his own ups and downs throughout his career.

Captaincy term 

Back in 2022, Nicholas Pooran was appointed as the skipper of the West Indies white-ball format team following the retirement of Kieron Pollard. However, his stint did not turn out to be a fruitful one, as the West Indies struggled to win matches under his captaincy. During the 2022 T20 World Cup, the West Indies were stunned by Scotland in the opening match and then went on to lose against Ireland, finishing the tournament with just one win—against Zimbabwe—and crashing out in the first round. Following the disappointing World Cup performance, Pooran decided to step down as white-ball captain of the West Indies.

IPL journey 

Nicholas Pooran began his IPL journey with the Mumbai Indians in 2017, but he failed to play a single match. The very next season, he went unsold. Ahead of the 2019 season, the Punjab Kings decided to sign the West Indian, and he rewarded the team with a decent return with the bat. The 2020 season turned out to be a great one for Pooran, as he scored a total of 353 runs in the 14 matches.

Following the IPL 2021 season, Pooran was released by the Punjab Kings, and it was Sunrisers Hyderabad that signed him for the 2022 season. After an underwhelming season, he was released by the franchise, and it was the Lucknow Super Giants who snapped him up for the 2022 season. He was retained by the franchise for the 2023 season.