Kieron Pollard – The Giant
Few players have been so closely linked with an Indian T20 League franchise and its fortunes as Kieron Pollard has with the Mumbai team. Derided as “not a cricketer†by Michael Holding, the West Indies cricket legend, soon after the Mumbai team made him the most expensive player in the 2010 auction, Pollard has gone on to become one of the greats of the T20 format.
His contribution to Mumbai’s dominance in the league cannot be overstated. In each of their 5 title-winning seasons, Pollard has contributed at least 250 runs. He was adjudged the Man of the Match in the final when they won for the first time in 2013. And though he hardly bowls these days, he remains a superb fielder in the deep.
Few in India even took T20 seriously at the time Pollard first announced himself, with a 38-ball 83 and 2 for 19 in the semi-final of the Stanford 20/20 in 2006. But three years later, India knew precisely what he could do as his whirlwind 18-ball 54 destroyed highly-fancied New South Wales in the Champions League T20.
Within months, Mumbai had seen off the interest of three other franchises to land him in the auction. The rest is T20 history. Pollard was also a path-breaker in terms of giving up a contract with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) in order to play T20 leagues around the world. At last count, he had represented nearly 20 franchises and starred in leagues in India, Australia, England, Pakistan, the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Over the years, he has been part of the West Indian World T20 triumph too and now leads the side in both the 50-over and T20 formats. He led the West Indies team in the Mumbai too and though he failed to help his side go beyond the group stages, the board has continued to show its faith in him. Pollard was the skipper of the team when they visited India recently. Once treated as an outcast and mercenary, Pollard is now one of the game’s elder statesmen and an inspiration to millions.
The Mumbai team, which has been his home ever since he decided to participate in the tournament, retained him yet again ahead of the mega auction earlier in the year, spending ₹6 crores for his services.
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Kieron Pollard’s Personal Details
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- Name
- :
- Kieron Pollard
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- Date of Birth
- :
- 12th May 1987
-
- Birthplace
- :
- Tacarigua, Trinidad
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- Height
- :
- 6′5″
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- Playing Role
- :
- All-rounder
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- Batting Style
- :
- Right-handed batter
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- Major Teams Played For
- :
- West Indies, Mumbai Team
Current Rankings
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T20 20 -
ODI 96 -
Test ---
Kieron Pollard Career Summary
-
- Format
- M
- Inn
- Runs
- HS
- Avg
- SR
- 100
- 200
- 50
- 4s
- 6s
- W
- Bowling Average
- Bowling SR
- CT
-
- ODI
- 123
- 113
- 2706
- 119 vs India
- 26.02
- 94.42
- 3
- 0
- 13
- 167
- 171
- 55
- 39.29
- 41.36
- 64
-
- T20I
- 101
- 83
- 1569
- 75* vs New Zealand
- 25.30
- 135.14
- 0
- 0
- 6
- 94
- 99
- 42
- 28.28
- 20.30
- 42
Kieron Pollard - Key Skills and Strengths
Few players in the game’s history have hit the ball as hard or as far as Pollard has. It was his six-hitting that first pushed him into the spotlight, and he showed during the last Indian T20 League season that his powers hadn’t waned at all, with his 268 runs spanning just 140 balls and including a whopping 22 sixes. The strike rate of 191.42 was his best in 12 seasons in the league.
In his prime, Pollard was also a canny medium pacer with a beautifully disguised slower ball and a sharp bouncer. He took 51 wickets in his first four seasons in the Indian T20 League, but has hardly bowled since. He remains a left-field option, though, when conditions are helpful.
Kieron Pollard’s Captaincy Record
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- Format
- Matches
- Won
- Lost
- Tie
- NR
-
- ODI
- 24
- 13
- 11
- 0
- 0
-
- T20I
- 39
- 13
- 21
- 0
- 5
-
- I T20 League
- 6
- 4
- 2
- 0
- 0
Kieron Pollard Awards and Achievements
Along with Chris Gayle, who followed him down the T20 freelance route, and Andre Russell, who emerged a little later, Pollard has been one of the poster boys of the shortest format. With over 100 caps for the West Indies in the 50-over game, Pollard has shown that there’s more to his game than the quick cameo. And along the way, he has set benchmarks that may not be equaled.
Here are some of Pollard’s biggest records and achievements:
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Only Chris Gayle has scored more than his 11,174 runs in T20s. And no one else in the top 10, not even Gayle, can match his strike rate of 152.88.
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Just 10 men have taken more than his tally of 298 wickets in T20s.
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Pollard’s 15-ball 38 and a spell of 2 for 6 in the 2012 semi-final played a big part in West defeating Australia on their way to a first World T20 crown.
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Only 7 players have bettered Pollard’s tally of 93 sixes in T20Is.
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Pollard’s 131 sixes for the West Indies in ODIs is behind only Gayle’s and Brian Lara’s tally.
Kieron Pollard’s Indian T20 League Journey
Even as other Mumbai team stalwarts have either retired or switched teams, Pollard has remained loyal to the franchise that bought him in 2010. He has even led the side on occasion in Rohit Sharma’s absence. And as Mumbai seek an unprecedented 6th Indian T20 League title, he remains one of their most important players.
Here are some of Pollard’s biggest achievements in the Indian T20 League:
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Among all-rounders, only Shane Watson excels Pollard’s totals of 3,206 runs and 63 wickets.
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Of those with at least 3000 runs in the league, only AB de Villiers has a better strike rate than Pollard’s 150.58.
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Only 4 men have bettered Pollard’s tally of 212 sixes.
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Pollard has been part of each of Mumbai’s 5 title wins. When they won it for the first time in 2013, it was his 32-ball 60 in the final that was the key contribution in the match.
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- Format
- M
- Runs
- HS
- Avg
- SR
- 100
- 50
- 4s
- 6s
- W
- Avg
- SR
-
- Indian T20 League
- 178
- 3268
- 87* vs Chennai
- 29.98
- 149.77
- 0
- 16
- 212
- 214
- 65
- 31.61
- 21.60
- 93
Kieron Pollard: FAQs
His choice for the role would be Denzel Washington, whose movie “Remember the Titans†is loved by many sportspersons.
He was born on 12th May 1987 in the village of Tacarigua in Trinidad, just off the coast of South America. Raised by a single mother, he also has two younger sisters.
He threw a bat at Australia’s Mitchell Starc.
Known as “Polly†in most of the dressing rooms he’s been part of, Pollard shares that nickname with Shaun Pollock, the South African legend who spent a season as Mumbai’s coach in 2009.
He married Jenna Ali in 2012. They have two sons and a daughter.
He had shaved a “20-20†on the side of his head.
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