Kieron Pollard retires: Mumbai Indians' talismanic all-rounder and power hitter Kieron Pollard called it a day on his 13-year-long IPL journey on Tuesday. The former West Indies star shared an emotional letter to inform his decision to retire and also added that he will be staying with the side as their batting coach, while also featuring for the MI Emirates in UAE International T20 League. After his retirement, fellow West Indies star and close friend Dwayne Bravo shared an emotional post on social media.
"To my best friend, my teammate, opponent 13 years ago I had a very small part play in introducing you to arguably one the most successful ipl teams Mumbai Indians. I saw you grow from a little boy from Maloney and then go to India and dominate the most toughest t20 league and become a household name around the world. LLORD I salute you on a fantastic career wish you all the best in your next chapter as it’s a sad day for you and your fans but we also celebrate what you have achieve I feel proud as your friend to write this message Kieron Pollard #LLORD #LEGEND #BIGLIP from the champion!," Bravo wrote on his Facebook handle.
Notably, Bravo was crucial in introducing Pollard to the Mumbai franchise. He played for MI in 2008 and 2009 and moved away from the team later. MI then found Pollard as Bravo's replacement and they bought him in 2010. Pollard played for them for 13 years and has tasted big success with them. He went on to win five IPL titles with MI and two Champions League titles.
Along with all the other franchises, Mumbai Indians also announced their released & retention list ahead of IPL 2023 mini auctions.
Players released by MI: Kieron Pollard, Anmolpreet Singh, Aryan Juyal, Basil Thampi, Daniel Sams, Fabian Allen, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Murugan Ashwin, Rahul Buddhi, Riley Meredith, Sanjay Yadav, Tymal Mills.
Players retained: Rohit Sharma (capt), Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwa.
