Kieron Pollard announces retirement: Kieron Pollard, Tuesday, announced his retirement from Indian Premier League (IPL) after playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) for 13 seasons. The hard-hitting batter was released by the franchise because they wanted to enter the IPL 2023 mini auction with a bigger purse. However, Pollard's long-standing association with Mumbai Indians will remain intact. The T20 legend has joined five-time IPL winners as a batting coach.
Mumbai had acquired Kieron Pollard for an undisclosed amount in IPL 2010 auction via silent tie-breaker rule and since then he has been one of the most loyal and a talismanic figure at the franchise. Apart from Australia's Shane Watson, Pollard is the only cricketer with 50-plus wickets and 3000-plus runs in IPL. Pollard has literally 'seen it all' during his enduring relationship with Mumbai, picking up 5 IPL and 2 champions league trophies.
Pollard scored 3412 runs in 189 IPL matches with help of 16 fifties at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 147.3 and bagged 69 wickets with the ball.
In an elaborate statement, Pollard said if he can't play for Mumbai Indians, he won't play against them either.
“It hasn’t been the easiest decision to make as I will keep playing for a few more years, but 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.
"I am immensely proud, honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons. Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani for their 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," he wrote in the statement.