CPL 2021: Kieron Pollard to lead Trinbago Knight Riders
Kieron Pollard, the West Indies limited-overs captain, is all set to lead the Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2021 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Pollard took charge of the team back in 2019 when Dwayne Bravo missed the entire campaign due to injury.
Though in that year, TKR bowed out after their defeat to Barbados Tridents in the Qualifier 2, in 2020, they made amends. Last year, the Knights won all their 10 matches in the league stage and went on to win the T20 championship.
Pollard and Co beat St Lucia Zouks in the final. After an impressive season last time, Pollard would now have the task of defending the title for TKR. Of late, he also led the Mumbai Indians in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League when Rohit Sharma was away.
BREAKING NEWS!!! @KieronPollard55 is back to lead the @TKRiders for CPL 2021. #CPL21 #CPLDraft #CricketPlayedLouder #KieronPollard pic.twitter.com/7kZeFVNj7J
— CPL T20 (@CPL) May 6, 2021
Kieron Pollard back in business
In the 2020 CPL, he was in riveting form with the bat in hand. In 11 matches, the veteran scored 207 runs at an average and strike rate of 51.75 and 204.95 respectively. Albeit he scored only one half-century with a top score of 72, he played some useful cameos in the middle-order.
The all-rounder would now be looking to replicate something similar even in the upcoming edition of the event. Having played 521 T20 matches and scoring 10,797 runs with 53 half-centuries and one century, the 33-year-old has, time and again, shown the damage he can do with the bat.
The 2021 CPL is set to get underway on August 28 with all the matches to be played at Warner Park in St Kitts. The 8000-seat venue will allow a crowd capacity of 50 per cent as long as they show proof of vaccination to enter the stadium.
However, Pete Russell, the CPL Chief Executive, stated that not all players would be needed to get vaccinated. As per him, proper quarantining can also do the job for them.
“We’re aware that we need to get people vaccinated where possible. That’s not always going to be the case but that is a process that we’re undergoing right now whether it’s [those] working for the CPL or playing [who] will be vaccinated,” he said.
“it’s not a requirement that they’ll be vaccinated because there will be quarantine options as well,” the CEO added.
