Birthday special: Kieron Pollard – 5 best IPL knocks of the Caribbean superstar
Kieron Pollard is a man who can give sleepless nights to the opposition captains. Blessed with brutal power and an ability to absorb pressure, Pollard was one of the vital cogs of the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise and has been a part of all 5 IPL triumphs of the Rohit Sharma-led side.
Needless to say, Pollard is a legend of IPL cricket. The West Indian has featured in a colossal 171 matches in the IPL and has played every one of them for the Mumbai Indians (MI) side. With Pollard turning 36 today, let us take a look at the top 5 knocks from his willow in IPL cricket.
5) 64 (33) vs Rajasthan Royals
Kieron Pollard’s blitzkrieg on 11th April 2012 allowed the Mumbai Indians (MI) side to post a 27-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals (RR) outfit. Walking in with the scorecard reading 68/3, Pollard blasted 64 runs at a strike rate of 193.94. His innings were studded with 6 fours and 4 sixes.
Pollard’s assault helped the Mumbai side post a competitive total of 197/6 in 20 overs. In reply, even though Owais Shah scored 76 for the Rajasthan side, they could only muster a total of 170 runs on the board. Pollard was awarded the Player of the Match award.
4) 70 (47) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chasing a target of 143, the Mumbai Indians (MI) were left reeling at 33/5, and chances of a comeback looked bleak. But then, Kieron Pollard took matters into his own hands and destroyed the Bangalore bowling attack. The West Indian smashed 70 off just 47 deliveries, to allow the Mumbai side to post a 4-wicket victory over the opposition.
For the Bangalore outfit, Virat Kohli was the man who stood out with the willow. The master batsman scored 62 off 47 deliveries to lend some respectability to the RCB total.
3) 66* (27) vs SunRisers Hyderabad
On 13th May 2013, Kieron Pollard single-handedly helped the Mumbai Indians (MI) side post a 7-wicket victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side in a high-scoring encounter. The Hyderabad outfit batted first and posted a total of 178/3 on the board. Shikhar Dhawan was the top scorer for the ‘Orange Army’ and scored a 41-ball 59.
In reply, Kieron Pollard blasted a fantabulous 66* at a strike rate of 244.44 to power the Mumbai Indians (MI) past the finish line with 7 wickets and 3 balls to spare.
2) 83 (31) vs Punjab Kings
The Mumbai Indians chased down a target of 198 set by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) side on 10th April 2019. And, one man who was responsible for Mumbai’s victory was Kieron Pollard. Wielding the willow first, the KL Rahul-led Punjab side posted a humongous total of 197/4 on the board. Skipper KL Rahul scored a 64-ball 100 for the Punjab side.
In reply, Kieron Pollard pulverized the Punjab bowling attack. He scored a rampaging 83 off just 31 deliveries to enable the Mumbai side to canter past the finish line. Pollard won the Player of the Match award for his resplendent show with the willow.
1) 87* (34) vs Chennai Super Kings
Kieron Pollard’s best knock in his IPL career came on 1st May 2021, against the mighty Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a cliffhanger of a contest. Batting first, the MS Dhoni-led side posted a mammoth total of 218/4. Ambati Rayudu went berserk for Chennai and scored 72 off just 27 deliveries.
But then, Kieron Pollard came and belted the CSK bowling attack to all corners of the ground. The right-hander scored a 34-ball 87* as the Mumbai Indians beat the Chennai outfit with 4 wickets to spare. Pollard struck 6 fours and 8 massive sixes in his match-winning innings.
