MI and RCB combined all-time IPL XI

7. Kieron Pollard

Should one create a hall of fame for Mumbai Indians’ players, Kieron Pollard is undoubtedly going to be one of the first names on the list. Another serious cricketer with both bat and ball, Pollard was initially brought in as a differential not present within many other teams – a finisher who could release his long levers for fun, while also being more than capable of bowling four good overs at all stages of the innings.

He rose to fame during the now-defunct Champions League T20 for Trinidad and Tobago, before being rewarded with a lucrative IPL contract. Pollard has, since then, been a mainstay and a fan favourite at the Wankhede. Having made 148 appearances in the league, the muscular West Indian has recorded 2,755 runs at an aggregate of 146 per 100 he scores.

Although not been used with the ball in the recent seasons, Pollard still has 56 wickets to his name. He is quite distant in terms of what he used to be back in the 2012-2015 phase when Mumbai genuinely relied on his abilities, but they now back him to win them a couple of matches per season. Well, that’s the ideology of a champion team – to back the nucleus in your team while not remaining dependent on them.