Kieron Pollard retires from the IPL and assumes new responsibilities with the Mumbai Indians

After 13 illustrious seasons with the five-time champion Mumbai Indians, West Indies great Kieron Pollard has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League. Pollard chose it because he didn’t see himself in MI’s plans as the organization was going through a transition. The all-rounder continued by saying that due to his intense loyalty to the team, he is unable to imagine himself playing for any other IPL squad. Having said that, Pollard’s career at MI is not over because he has been hired to serve as the team’s batting coach.

Mumbai Indians signed Pollard in 2010 after being impressed by his powerful hitting and all-around skill during the Champions League T20 tournament that was played in India in 2009. Pollard was signed by MI for $750,000 in the ensuing IPL auction after competing against three other teams, including Chennai Super Kings, Royals Challengers, and Kolkata Knight Riders, where he had a base price of US$ 200,000. With Mumbai Indians, the Windies all-rounder won five IPL championships in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020. Additionally, he participated in six games as the team’s captain, four of which Mumbai won.

Pollard was re-signed by MI last year for 6 crores after being retained ahead of the 2018 season, but his contract was terminated after a subpar season earlier this year in which he scored just 144 runs.

In the IPL, only a select few players have played in 100 or more games for a single franchise. After participating in 189 IPL games for the Mumbai Indians, Pollard is second on the list of players who have made the most appearances for a single club. With his record tally for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli is at the top of the list. Other players on the list include Lasith Malinga, Sunil Narine, and Jasprit Bumrah. He amassed 3412 runs, 16 fifty-pluses, and 69 wickets in those 189 games, making him one of the league’s most productive all-rounders ever.