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.

Kieron Pollard retires from Indian Premier League (IPL) (Source: ©IANS)

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	Strike Rate	50s/100s	Wickets	Best Figures	Eco Rate
189	3412	87*	28.7	147.3	16/0	69	4/44	8.79

Kieron Pollard T20 career record

Matches	Runs	HS	Average	Strike Rate	50s/100s	Wickets	Best Figures	Eco Rate
614	11915	104	31.02	150.25	56/1	309	4/15	8.22

His stats speak for himself, and it is fair to say that Kieron Pollard has earned the tag to be called a legend not only in the IPL, but also T20 cricket as a whole.

Pollard has been a true match-winner for any team he has played for, and MI have won all 5 of their IPL titles with the presence of the big Trinidadian in their squad. He has played a huge role in each and every title the team has won.

And that is the main reason why the team management has backed him heavily even at the fag end of his career. Ahead of the IPL 2022 auctions, Pollard was retained by MI for INR 6 crore and such was the confidence the team had in him.

But unfortunately, the all-rounder had an ordinary season scoring just 144 runs in 11 innings while taking 4 wickets. While he was released by MI, they made him the batting coach which will mean that he will still be associated with the team which is a great thing. MI have once again proved they treat Pollard as part of family and that they can’t be separated.

Read More: IPL 2022, MI’s Riddle: Is Tim David a true successor of Kieron Pollard?

Kieron Pollard only player with 10,000 runs and 300 T20 Wickets. (Images: ©BCCI/IPL)

What makes Pollard an integral part of MI?

Apart from his record for the team, Pollard has always remained a mentor like figure for many of the players in the team. For example, Hardik Pandya’s growth as a player can be attributed to the influence Pollard had on him in the former’s early days with MI. The duo spends most of the time together and it must have helped Pandya to improve his game immensely.

Also, Pollard shares great rapport with most of the MI players. SuryaKumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah are other such examples. They shared heartfelt notes after Pollard announced his IPL retirement earlier this week.

Last but not the least, Pollard has always been at the side of MI’s skipper Rohit Sharma right through the latter’s captaincy career. He has seen Rohit go on to become IPL’s most successful captain and been his deputy over the years. In the absence of Rohit, Pollard captained the side on 9 occasions. This shows the trust the team and Rohit had on Pollard.

Such has been the unbreakable bond between Pollard and Mumbai Indians. A powerhouse in the form of a batter, Pollard would definitely be missed on the playing field, though he will still don the MI colours albeit in a different avatar.

His job now would be to groom future talents as a batting coach and help consolidate a strong MI core in the coming years. One thing is sure that, Pollard will carry his legacy of being a player to now a coach.

Read More: IPL 2023 Retentions: SRH release Williamson, CSK let go of Bravo while most franchises retain core