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Kieron Pollard has been one of the finest T20 cricketers of all time. The former West Indies National Cricket Team captain continues to play cricket in franchise leagues in different parts of the world and performs as well despite retiring from international cricket and the Indian Premier League (IPL). Now he has joined MI Emirates for the ILT20.
MI Emirates is the sister franchise of the Mumbai Indians (MI), which is owned by Indiawin Sports, led by Reliance Industries. The franchise was founded in 2022, and in 2023, it unveiled its logo and jersey in January through its social media handles. They have qualified for the playoffs in all three seasons and won the tournament in 2024.
Kieron Pollard joins MI Emirates as a wildcard player
Kieron Pollard will join the MI Emirates squad as the wild-card player alongside Nicholas Pooran, as in last season, after the tournament’s inaugural auction. He was announced as the captain last season, as he took over the leadership role from his former West Indies teammate, who was set to play for MI Cape Town in the SA20, with the two leagues overlapping at one time.
Since taking over the leadership, Pollard has led the group to the final of the tournament. However, the franchise could not defend its trophy after losing to Desert Vipers last season. The Vipers won their maiden title by beating one of the most successful franchises of the tournament. Pollard would look to bring back the glory once again this season.
Kieron Pollard appointed as head coach of MI
Kieron Pollard has been a homeboy for the MI franchise; despite retiring from the IPL, he was associated with the Mumbai Indians side as the batting coach for three seasons. He has now taken over the head coach role after the five-time champions sacked Mahela Jayawardene from his role. This will be a new challenge for the former West Indies all-rounder.
Pollard, after joining MI, had some controversy over him playing for the JoBurg Super Kings (JSK) in the SA20. Later, he officially backed out of his deal with JSK after he was appointed the head coach of MI. He also stepped down as head coach of MI London in the men's Hundred, which came as a shock to everyone.
Kieron Pollard's T20 record
The former Windies all-rounder has been one of the fiercest batters of all time. He is the most-capped player in T20 cricket, with 754 appearances, and is 63 runs away from surpassing Jos Buttler as the format's leading run-scorer. He has 14,999 runs at an average of 31.71 and a strike rate of 150.92.
Pollard would become the second player to achieve the 15,000-run mark. This would be a milestone achievement for him. He joined Mumbai back in 2010 and has won five trophies with the franchise and has been a core member of the side.
The former Windies cricketer will now play under new head coach Mark Boucher, under whom he worked at Mumbai Indias, when the former South Africa National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batter was the head coach of the franchise in the 2023-2024 season.
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