When one remembers Mumbai Indians, few names immediately appear in front of us. Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Surya Kumar Yadav, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard are the players whose name has been attached to the Mumbai Indians’ forever.Out of all these names, Kieron Pollard has been the longest serving player for the franchise. And hence, the Big Man, who is a constant for MI will now be seen leading MI New York in the Major League Cricket happening in the Unites States.

As a forever Mumbai Indian fan, this move gives me immense happiness. Pollard was bought by Mumbai Indians in 2010 IPL, post his good performances in Big Bash League and Champions League 2009. Mumbai Indians tried had to get him in the squad, and they managed to get him in the team of blue and gold. And since then, Pollard became a forever Mumbai Indian. His loyalty to the franchise was such, that when they decided to not retain him for the 2023 IPL, he announced his retirement from the league stating that if he doesn’t play for Mumbai Indians, he doesn’t want to play against the team by playing for any other franchise.

His love for Mumbai Indians always reflected in his game. He has immensely contributed to the team helping it to become what it is today. One of the finest all-rounders to have played the game, he contributed in every department of the game. His long sixes diminished the confidence of the opposition. His clever slower balls tricked the batters leading to their dismissal. His athletic fielding stopped many sixes, and his blinders got Mumbai back in the game. A radius of 10 feet around him was a safe place, as any ball hit in that area would be easily stopped by the Big Man.

He had a lion’s share in all the 5 titles Mumbai Indians won. He was a player of big matches. He was the man of the 2013 final, which was the first time when Mumbai got their name on the IPL trophy. In a first innings, which was mostly dominated by the Chennai Super Kings, it was Pollard who was the lone man standing for Mumbai Indians. He took the Mumbai total to 148 runs, by scoring 60 of 32 balls, from where it looked like the team would barely cross 125 mark. His last 2 ball sixes brought the Mumbai crowd back to life. He was adjudged as Man of the match for his splendid knock under pressure.

He was one of those players who played better against good teams. Which is why he has a fabulous record against one of the most successful teams of the IPL- Chennai Super Kings. Every time he got a chance to play against them, he wreaked havoc. In the 2021 edition, he was considered to be a finished player as he failed to perform in most matches. However in the match against CSK, he played a knock of 87 runs from 34 deliveries to chase a mammoth total of 219 runs, which overshadowed Ambati Rayudu’s knock of 72 runs in 27 balls. As a captain, his performance was even better. In 2019 , when he was stand-in skipper for MI against PBKS, he came at a time where required run rate was 13 rpo, and he single handedly won the match with his fabulous knock of 83 runs in 31 deliveries.

There are numerous such performances of him, which has time and again helped Mumbai Indians. His towering sixes, and his blinders are a treat to watch. And his antics on the field are good enough to make toughest of the men laugh. Considering what he means to Mumbai Indians, it was a little shock to see our Polly not being retained. And his retirement was an emotional moment for MI fans like me. We had him in the dugout, but to see him play is a different kind of joy. Which is why, as a fan and admirer of Kieron Pollard, I am more than happy to see him play for the franchise again. Seeing him captaining a side having Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Rabada, Tim David, Pooran, Beherendoff gives me hope that MI New York will be the favourites going ahead in the league. Eagerly waiting to see Pollard magic from 13 July in the United States.