Greatest players in the history of IPL #10 - Kieron Pollard

A one-club man, an IPL legend, arguably one of the finest entertainers in the tournament’s history, it is hard, to sum up, Kieron Pollard in a few words. He might not be topping the run-scorers chart nor the wicket-takers list, but with his canny, priceless, and scintillating contributions over the last 8 seasons, Pollard rightfully earns a place in this elite list.

It all began for him in the 2009 Champions League, where he broke into the limelight with his mind-boggling power-hitting representing the Trinidad & Tobago. The Mumbai Indians wasted no time in identifying him as a long-term prospect and roped him into their side for the 2010 edition.

Right from the outset, Pollard took giant strides. He played some valiant cameos in the middle order for the Mumbai franchise and was a pivotal cog in the side which reached the final. To be completely honest, despite the presence of some humongous names like Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mumbai Indians didn’t attain great stardom in their first two seasons.

One can say the commencement of the process of glorifying their status and Pollard’s entry into the league coincided. But to be honest, his role was focal towards Mumbai Indians achieved the status it did. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Lasith Malinga etc. played a much bigger part, but no one can belittle the part he played in making the Blues a “Box Office” club.

An entertainer par excellence

The flaming banter with Mitchell Starc, the flying kisses to David Warner or the one where he taped his mouth when the umpires warned him not to argue, if Pollard is in the close proximity, there’s no dearth of drama and entertainment. Whilst some might say he goes off the decency track a bit, not on many occasions he did stuff to disparage the spirit of the game.

There were so many occasions when the Blues would be struggling to lose some early wickets. But the tall presence of Pollard would save them from humiliation. He stroked a half-century in the 2013 Final against Chennai and in 2015 final, he played a flabbergasting cameo. In the previous edition, he played some fine knocks as well, helping Mumbai become the most successful club in the League’s history.

The athleticism he brings into play is another fascinating facet about Pollard. For a guy who’s as tall as him, it is not very to dive around like a bird. But the number of times he saved runs on the boundary ropes and pulled off some blinders is impossible to count. He’d certainly rank amongst the top 3 fielders in the league’s history.

Pollard went into the auction for the first time in 8 seasons, only to get retained by his beloved franchise. The fans had welcomed the hierarchy’s move to use the RTM card on Pollard and he rightfully earns another decent contract with the 3-time champions.

Pollard has amassed a total of 2,343 runs in the 123 games where he donned the blue jersey. His career strike-rate over 145 speaks volumes of the damage he has done over the years and he also picked up 56 wickets with his medium pace. People love him for the sheer energy he brings to the game and the Mumbai fans would be hoping to see more of his exploits this season.

Keep following Crictracker as we rank the 10 best cricketers in the history of IPL.