Pollard IPL 2023 Team: Is Pollard retired from IPL?

Former West Indies captain Kieron Pollard won’t be participating in the imminent 16th season of the Indian Premier League as a player just like former Indian cricketers namely Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.

It will be for the first season since Pollard‘s IPL debut that he wouldn’t be playing in the biggest T20 league around the world. Having said that, the 35-year old will still be seen in MI‘s dugout in the capacity of a batting coach. In what is going to be his debut as a member of the support staff, Pollard has replaced former India batter Robin Singh at Mumbai.

“It’s pretty different but exciting at the same time,” Pollard said of working as a batting coach in a video posted by the franchise across their social media handles on Thursday. “I think the real test will be when the cricket actually starts. Knowing myself, once I have made a decision, I’m pretty settled in my mind.”

It is worth a mention that it is not for the first time when MI have retained a high-profile cricketer in a coaching capacity. Before the 11th season of the IPL in 2018, the franchise had signed legendary Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga as a bowling mentor. Been affected by form and fitness in both the IPL and international cricket back in the day, Malinga had returned as a player for Mumbai in the following season of the IPL.

Is Kieron Pollard retired from IPL?

Readers must note that Pollard had announced his retirement from the IPL hours before the deadline for franchises to make public their list of released players ahead of IPL 2023 auction.

“Once an MI always an MI,” Pollard said in an emotional goodbye to Indians via a tweet. Pollard not showing interest in returning to the auction after more than a decade speaks highly of his cordial bond with the franchise. It is such an extent of loyalty which separates Pollard from the others in a highly competitive tournament such as the IPL.

Pollard, however, continues to participate in other T20 leagues. It was as recent as this month that Pollard was representing Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League 2023. Pollard, who had led MI six times across three seasons, was the captain of MI Emirates in ILT20 2023.

When did Kieron Pollard join MI?

It was during IPL 2010 auction that Mumbai had bagged Pollard after an intense auction battle with Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.

“The team strategy, discussed between Sachin Tendulkar, TA Sekar and Robin Singh was that we wanted a batting allrounder and we are happy to have him,” Nita Ambani, who was representing the franchise at the auction, had said at the time. A 13-year old IPL stint for the Indians witnessed Pollard scoring 3,412 runs across 171 innings at a strike rate of 147.32.