'I told them I'm fed up of telling Chennai well played'- Kieron Pollard reveals how he motivated team ahead of CSK clash

The Mumbai Indians have won three games in a row as they broke their losing streak against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the last encounter at the Wankhede Stadium to keep their chances of qualifying for the playoffs of IPL 2025 alive.

The Boys in Blue and Gold completely outclassed their rivals in the El-Clasico, chasing down the target of 177 in just 15.4 overs. MI’s batting coach Kieron Pollard talked about the incredible victory against the Yellow Army and revealed one of the pep talks he delivered to the players before the game. This seemed to have worked, looking at how MI performed in the game where they barely let their opponents make a comeback in the match and defeated them by nine wickets.

“If you look at the start of the game, Mahela (Jayawardene) gave me the opportunity to speak to the guys. One of the things I told them was, 'I'm fed up of telling Chennai well played over the last couple of years.' The way the guys went out today - very good,” Pollard said as quoted by India Today.

Pollard also talked about some of the notable performances in the match as well and though it was Rohit Sharma who stole the show with his match-winning knock on the day, Pollard also praised Suryakumar Yadav and talked about his importance at the number three spot for the franchise and how his phenomenal innings also made a huge difference in the game.

“Of course, we wanted him (Suryakumar Yadav) at No. 3. We want him to face as many balls as possible. But even in the back end, he's dangerous. We try to understand the opposition and where he can make the biggest impact. Against Chennai, he reads spin so well - he can manipulate the field, sweep, reverse, and dominate," the five-time IPL champion added.