Kieron Pollard Named MI Emirates Wildcard Signing for New ILT20 Season

Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been signed as a wildcard player for MI Emirates in the upcoming ILT20 season. Pollard, who also serves as the head coach for the Mumbai Indians, has been with the franchise since 2023.

Kieron Pollard Named MI Emirates Wildcard Signing for New ILT20 Season

New Delhi [India], November 14 (ANI): Former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been named MI Emirates' wildcard signing for the upcoming season of the International League T20 (ILT20), extending his association with the franchise since the tournament's inaugural edition in 2023.

Pollard, who has represented MI Emirates in every season of the ILT20, was also named as a wildcard signing alongside Nicholas Pooran last season. He subsequently took over the captaincy from Pooran, whose commitments with MI Cape Town in the SA20 overlapped with the UAE-based tournament, according to Cricinfo. Under Pollard's leadership, MI Emirates came close to lifting the title last season but finished runners-up after losing the final to Desert Vipers.

The 38-year-old remains one of the most prolific players in T20 cricket. With 754 appearances, he is the most-capped player in the format and has accumulated 14,999 runs at an average of 31.71 and a strike rate of 150.92. He is just 63 runs away from overtaking England's Jos Buttler as the highest run-scorer in T20 cricket.

Pollard's latest signing comes amid an expanding coaching role within the Mumbai Indians franchise. He was recently appointed head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having previously represented the franchise as a player from 2010 to 2022 before serving as its batting coach. He had also taken charge of MI London in the men's Hundred but stepped down from the role earlier this month following his appointment at Mumbai Indians.

The former West Indies international has also stepped away from his playing contract with Joburg Super Kings in the SA20. At MI Emirates, Pollard will work under head coach Mark Boucher, the former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter, who replaced Robin Singh in the role. MI Emirates won their maiden ILT20 title in 2024 under Singh's coaching. The 2026-27 edition of the ILT20 will be held from November 21 to December 20, with matches scheduled across Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.