Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard announces his retirement from IPL

ST JOHN: Former West Indies and Mumbai Indies batter Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday.

This means that one of the greatest IPL finishers will no longer play in the IPL. However, Pollard will continue to work with Mumbai Indians as batting coach next season.

Pollard took to Twitter to announce his retirement and said even if he will no longer play for Mumbai Indians he cannot see himself against Mumbai either - "Once an MI always an MI."

In a lengthy post, Pollard tweeted, "It hasn't been the easiest decision to make as I will keep playing for a few more years, but I understand that this incredible franchise which has achieved so much needs to transition and if I'm no longer to play for MI then I cannot see myself playing against MI either. Once an MI always an MI. I am immensely proud, honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons. Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani for their tremendous love, support and respect I have always felt and for the confidence they placed in me. I recall our first encounter when they welcomed me with open arms saying, "We are family". Those were not just mere words, but demonstrated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians." Ever since he signed with MI in 2010, Pollard has been one of the marquee players of the franchise, having won them many games with his all-round performances. In 189 matches for the side, Pollard has scored 3,412 runs at an average of 28.67, with 16 half-centuries under his belt. He has also taken 69 wickets for the five-time champions.

But the last season with MI was underwhelming for him. In 11 matches, he could score only 144 runs at an average of 14.40, with the highest score of 25. He hit these runs at a poor strike rate of 107.46. Also, he took only four wickets for his side in the tournament.

The five-time IPL winner Kieron Pollard, the most experienced player for the Mumbai Indians, has been released, ending a 13-year association that began in 2010, when Pollard was acquired for an unknown price using the tie-breaker method.

Indian Premier League franchises must submit their list of retained players by November 15, 2022. The 16th edition of the IPL will see the 10 participating teams undergo preparations in full swing in order to make their squad as ready as possible before the mini-auction on December 23, 2022, in Kochi.