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Kieron Pollard still firing all cylinders in T20s; did MI legend prematurely retire from IPL?

Robin

Kieron Pollard during an IPL game (Source: @itz_chillax/X)Kieron Pollard during an IPL game (Source: @itz_chillax/X)

Kieron Pollard is a T20 legend. He has 18 T20 titles to his name - most of any player in the history of the sport. The West Indian all-rounder is a brute hitter and exceptional fielder and can contribute with the ball as well.

Pollard retired from the IPL back in 2022 after being a part of the Mumbai Indians franchise for 13 editions of the Indian Premier League. He was an integral part of the Mumbai Indians’ success (5 titles) in the league, as he was their crisis man.

Every time MI was struggling, Pollard was there to take his side over the line. He’s one of those players who’ve just played for one franchise throughout their IPL career.

Kieron Pollard's record in IPL

Criterion
Numbers
Innings168
Runs3412
Average/SR28.70/147.30
Fifties16
Wickets69

The former West Indian white-ball captain is now the batting coach of the Mumbai franchise, but he still plays in all the T20 leagues around the globe except for the IPL.

He’s a part of the MI family in the ILT20, Major League Cricket (MLC), and the SA20 League. Pollard plays for the Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and also plays in The Hundred in England. And it’s not that he’s just playing in these leagues, but he’s been performing really well and that too very consistently all around the globe.

Pollard’s magic continues even after IPL retirement

After retiring from the IPL in 2022, Kieron Pollard has been in terrific form, and his numbers reflect that very clearly.

Kieron Pollard in T20s since 2023:

Criterion
Numbers
Innings112
Runs2899
Average/SR38.10/161.10
Fifties15
Wickets32

This shows that Pollard has still got it in him to compete at the highest level. He’s hitting sixes for fun and still winning matches for his respective sides. Not only all this, but Pollard has improved his game as well since his IPL retirement.

Earlier he used to struggle against wrist spin initially in his innings, but since 2022, he has thrashed the wrist spinners all over the ground.

Pollard against wrist-spin (right-arm leg-break, left-arm chinaman, and right-arm googly) in T20s since 2023

Criterion
Numbers
Innings35
Runs320
Average/SR64/167.50
4s/6s10/34
Outs5

These are exceptional numbers for any player. Pollard also hit Rashid Khan for 5 sixes in 5 balls in The Hundred.

All these numbers and everything lead to only one question - Why did Kieron Pollard retire from the IPL?

Pollard’s reason for early retirement

The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League was a forgettable one for him. He scored only 144 runs in 11 innings at an average of just 14.40 and a strike rate of 107.50 with a highest score of only 25.

Mumbai Indians had Tim David in their squad during that time, and playing two overseas players - Pollard and David, who play a very similar role (finishing) was hurting the franchise.

After the season, Pollard announced his IPL retirement, citing that the franchise needs to transition with the younger players taking over. He also said that he could never imagine himself playing for any other franchise except the Mumbai Indians. “Once an MI, always an MI,” he said. And later he was announced as the batting coach for the Mumbai Indians.

Did the Mumbai Indians fumble Pollard?

Mumbai Indians, after releasing Pollard, tried many players for the finisher's role.

They had Tim David, but they later went on to release him after a couple of ordinary seasons, which proved to be a costly decision, as he’s now one of the top finishers in the world. They also released Romario Shepherd and Tristan Stubbs, and both of them also peaked after MI released them.

MI players celebrating after Pollard's heroics (Source: @LoyalSachinFan/X)MI players celebrating after Pollard's heroics (Source: @LoyalSachinFan/X)

After all this, Mumbai scouted Kiwi player Bevon Jacobs, but he didn’t get to play even one match and is now released by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. Considering all this, it's clear that the franchise could've used the services of their legend for at least a couple of more years. 

Was Pollard’s decision to retire from the IPL a correct one?

Looking at how things have panned out since his retirement and how MI has tried many players to fill his shoes, one can confidently say that the IPL and MI legend’s decision to retire in 2022 wasn’t a good one.

It’s not that MI won’t be able to win any games in Pollard’s absence, but seeing how desperate they are for a good finisher and how Pollard has been performing in the last three years, it’s clear that he could’ve stayed with the franchise, at least for a few more seasons.

He’s fit, bats consistently, can field and bowl, and has a plethora of experience, which could’ve helped the franchise on the other side of the boundary rope.

But we should consider that the IPL is the toughest league in the world, and it wouldn’t have been very easy for him to replicate what he’s done in the last three years but most probably, he would’ve succeeded given the champion player he is and also, respect Pollard’s decision and loyalty towards the franchise.