Mumbai Indians star all-rounder Kieron Pollard (10k+ runs & 300+ wickets in T20) bids adieu to IPL
IPL 2023: Mumbai Indians star all-rounder Kieron Pollard retires from Indian Premier League (IPL); only player with 1000+ runs & 300+ wickets in T20. Pollard will be Mumbai Indians' batting coach for IPL 2023.
If we talk about Kieron Pollard, our mind automatically goes towards the Mumbai Indians (MI). The 5-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions and the name of the former West Indies skipper Pollard always go hand in hand. There are a few players who become organically associated to a certain franchise, and one such player is the strongly built Trinidadian middle-order batter Kieron Adrian Pollard.
Now ahead of IPL 2023 mini auctions, with all 10 teams having already announced their retention list, there was a surprise in the MI squad. Their long-time legendary player Pollard was not in the list and later the veteran all-rounder himself announced his retirement from IPL cricket stating “Once an MI, always an MI” in a statement.
He was then named the batting coach of the team and is all set to continue his services for the franchise in a new avatar from the IPL 2023 season.
Read More: IPL 2021 Records – Kieron Pollard pioneer in getting double of 10,000 runs and 300 wickets in T20s
His early start with the Mumbai Indians
Pollard was a relatively unknown commodity when he first arrived at the IPL stage. His breath-taking performance for the Trinidad team in the Champions League T20 held before IPL 2010 auctions grabbed the eyes of many of the franchises including Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. Eventually, the MI team got the services of the mighty Pollard by the way of secret bidding. And the rest is history.
His addition to the team immediately paid rich dividends to MI as Pollard gave the side much needed balance. In the early days for MI, Pollard was a live wire in the field and as a batter, he was always a threatening figure for the opposition. The champion player’s wicket many a times determined the fate of MI’s games and he has produced some miraculous efforts with the bat for his team over the years.
Though a medium pacer, Pollard had an attitude of a pacer and he was always at the batter’s face when it comes to aggression. While his bowling faded away over the course of the IPL, the 35-year-old has delivered more often than not when given the ball. He is the only player in the history of T20 cricket to score more than 10000 runs and take more than 300 wickets. This makes him one of the greatest ever to play the shortest format of the game.
Kieron Pollard career record in IPL
Matches | Runs | HS | Average |