Kieron Pollard might play 200 IPL games for Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya pays tribute to West Indies star
IPL 2020: Kieron Pollard became the first player to represent Mumbai Indians in 150 matches in the Indian Premier League. He marked the occasion with an all-round showing in MI's win over KKR in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
In Short
- Kieron Pollard became the first player to represent MI in 150 IPL games
- He is just a fantastic guy, he has always been there to help and guide us: Hardik Pandya
- Pollard is someone who everyone looks up to, he plays with a lot of passion: Jayawardene
Mumbai Indians stars paid rich tribute to West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard who became the first player to feature in 150 Indian Premier League (IPL) matches for the 4-time champions on Wednesday. Pollard was handed a special shirt to mark the landmark during MI's big win over Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.
Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya heaped praise on Kieron Pollard, saying he enjoys spending time with his 'brother'. Pandya backs Pollard to go on and play 200 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians, saying the big-hitting West Indies player has another '4 or 5 years of cricket left in him'.
"I think he might be the only cricketer who might play 200 games as well, he still has 4-5 years in him. He is just a fantastic guy, he has always been there to help and guide us, we have a relation like brothers where we celebrate our wins and enjoy our losses as well," Pandya told Mumbai Indians.
Pollard joined Mumbai Indians in 2010 and has been an integral part in all their 4 title-winning campaigns. Pollard has played a total of 172 matches for the Rohit Sharma-led side. 22 of them have come in the now-defunct Champions League T20. Pollard has 3289 runs and 67 wickets for Mumbai Indians over the years.
'He has done some spectacular things for us'
Rohit Sharma lauded Pollard for his contribution over the years, highlighting the role he played in their victorious campaigns in 2013 and 2019.
"He has done some spectacular things on the field for us. I clearly remember 2013 final and 2019 final, his knock was very crucial for us to get to a competitive score.
"He has always been a team man, he has always stood up when the team required him to. He is a very important cog in the wheel," Rohit said.
"Pollard is someone who everyone looks up to, he plays with a lot of passion, you see that with him. Whichever franchise he plays for, but he has a soft spot for Mumbai Indians, being here for a long time," head coach Mahela Jayawardene said.
Pollard marked the occasion with another fine all-round display. He took his first wicket in the IPL since 2015. He bowled 3 overs and gave away just 21 runs and hit a 7-ball 13 in their 49-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
On Pollard's 150th IPL match, Mumbai Indians also ended their losing streak in the UAE, picking up their first win in 7 matches.