IPL 2023: Kieron Pollard Announces IPL Retirement, Roped In As Mumbai Indians Batting Coach

Kieron Pollard of the West Indies has announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League after 13 years with the five-time champion Mumbai Indians.

The Mumbai Indians have discharged Kieron Pollard, their most senior player, to end a 13-year relationship that began in 2010, when Pollard was purchased for an unknown fee using the tie-breaker method.

The all-rounder also stated that he cannot imagine himself joining any other side in the IPL; nonetheless, Pollard will maintain his relationship with MI by taking over as the franchise’s batting coach.

A select few IPL players have appeared in 100 or more games for a single franchise. With 189 IPL outings for Mumbai Indians, Pollard is second on the list of most appearances for a single team. With his record total for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Virat Kohli is at the top of the list.

Other players on the list include Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011), Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians from 2013), and Lasith Malinga (who had two stints at Mumbai). He played in 189 games during which time he amassed 3412 runs, 16 fifty-pluses, and 69 wickets, making him one of the league’s most productive all-rounders ever.

“I Can’t Imagine Myself Playing Against MI”: Kieron Pollard

After conversations with the Mumbai Indians, Kieron Pollard decided to end his IPL tenure with the team. Pollard declared his resignation from the IPL after saying he wouldn’t want to play against the Mumbai Indians.

“It hasn’t been the easiest decision to make as I intend to keep playing for a few more years, but following discussions with Mumbai Indians, I have decided to call time on my IPL career. I understand that this incredible franchise which has achieved so much needs to transition and if I’m no longer to play for MI then I cannot see myself playing against MI either. “Once an MI always an MI’.

“This is not an emotional goodbye to MI however as I have agreed to take up the role of batting coach in the IPL as well as play with MI Emirates. This next chapter of my career is genuinely exciting and allows me to transition myself too from playing to coaching, I am immensely proud, honored, and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons.

? #OneFamily @mipaltan pic.twitter.com/4mDVKT3eu6

— Kieron Pollard (@KieronPollard55) November 15, 2022

“It was always an aspiration to play for this fantastic team and although I will miss the buzz of the IPL you get as a player, I take comfort in knowing that I have been fortunate enough to have played with some of the best players in the world in front of our passionate fans. I have always felt and appreciated their unconditional support both on and off the field. Together, we won the Champions League in 2011 and 2013 and the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.”

“I must give big thanks to the Coaches, Managers, and other backroom support staff we have had at Mumbai Indians and who I now join. We would not have achieved success over the years without their continuing hard work, dedication, and commitment to creating the best environment and I look forward to emulating their successful approach.”

“In particular I would like to pay special tribute to my good friend Robin Singh for his sound advice and guidance over the years and whose very shoes I now fill. Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita, and Akash Ambani for the tremendous love, support, and respect I have always felt and for the confidence, they placed in me. I recall our first encounter when they welcomed me with open arms saying, “We are family”.

“Those were not just mere words but demonstrated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians. Lastly, I would like to say a special thank you to my friends and family especially my wife, Jenna, and my three beautiful children for all the love, support, and many sacrifices they have made over the years and will continue to make to allow me to fulfill my childhood, dream of playing cricket at the highest levels for such a long time.”

“Today I make this step with hope and excitement towards the future knowing that I will be playing a role in an institution, whose values align so closely to mine, where “We are family”.

Pollard was renewed by MI for 6 crores last year, but the deal was terminated after a subpar season earlier this year in which he scored only 144 runs.

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