The TATA IPL 2022 didn’t end well for the most successful IPL franchises. The five-time champion Mumbai Indians finished the season at the bottom of the table. They could only manage four wins out of 14 group games. The performance of the team wasn’t up to the standard set by MI in past years. Senior players could not make it big for the team. Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard was one of MI’s veteran key players.
He played 11 games in the last season and scored only 144 runs at an average of 14.4 and a low strike rate of 107.46. Pollard couldn’t even touch the 50-run mark, and his highest score was 25 runs. Notably, MI retained him ahead of the 2022 auction and released the Pandya Brothers. With the next auction scheduled for December 23 in Kochi, all of the teams were looking to reshuffle their pack. Thus, some reports also confirmed earlier that MI is looking to release Pollard ahead of the 2023 auction.
Kieron Pollard announces his IPL retirement
On Tuesday, Pollard came up with a shocking announcement. The former West Indian captain hung his boots from the IPL as well. Notably, he joined the MI setup in 2010, and it’s been almost 13 years with the MI family. He took his decision after knowing that the franchise might release him and he will be under the hammer in the upcoming auction. Pollard took to Twitter to announce the news and thank the franchises.
In his post on Twitter, he revealed why he is taking the decision to retire. He tweet, “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’.”
However, it will not be the end of the road for the all-rounder, as he will now join the MI coaching setup as a batting coach. Pollard joined MI in 2010 with a price tag of USD 750,000. He was part of all five IPL title triumphs for MI in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020, respectively. He has also captained MI in six games, winning four of them. The franchise retained him in 2018. However, he was also retained in the last season for a price of INR 6 crore. But a below-par performance with 144 runs last season made MI rethink their choice.
Interestingly, very few players have played 100 or more games for any team in the IPL. Pollard is second on the list. He has played 189 games for the MI, which is the most for the franchise in IPL history. The veteran all-rounder is behind Virat Kohli, who has played all his games for Royal Challengers Bangalore. In his IPL career, Pollard has managed 3412 runs, including 16 half-centuries, and also taken 69 wickets.