Kieron Pollard reveals his class, scoring 83 off simply 31 balls in opposition to Punjab
Kieron Pollard was a real game-changer for the Mumbai Indians all through his lengthy and spectacular IPL profession that lasted greater than ten years. One of the vital talked-about moments occurred throughout the 2019 season when the staff was up in opposition to Kings XI Punjab, now referred to as Punjab Kings. They needed to chase down a tricky goal of 198 runs at their house stadium, and issues didn’t begin nicely in any respect. The highest order, which included huge names like Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav, couldn’t get issues going, leaving the staff in a tough spot.
Pollard, who stepped in as captain for that match, got here into bat after Suryakumar was out. With wickets falling round him, he actually stepped as much as the plate that day. He delivered an unimaginable 83 runs, bringing Mumbai nearer to victory. All of it got here all the way down to the wire, and Alzarri Joseph hit the profitable runs on the ultimate ball, securing the sport for Mumbai by three wickets.
In his first match as captain, Pollard gained the toss and selected to have Punjab bat first. KL Rahul and Chris Gayle opened for Punjab and put collectively a stable partnership, scoring 116 runs. Gayle had a improbable innings, blasting 63 runs off simply 36 balls, whereas Rahul made 100 in 64 deliveries, hitting six fours and 6 sixes. Nevertheless, after each of them bought out, no different Punjab participant may even attain double figures. They completed their innings at 197 runs, dropping 4 wickets within the course of. For Mumbai, Hardik Pandya took two wickets, and each Jason Behrendorff and Jasprit Bumrah claimed one wicket every.
At one level throughout the chase, Mumbai was in a tricky spot at 3 for 62, having misplaced their first three batsmen. Quinton de Kock scored 24 runs, Siddhesh Lad added 15, and Suryakumar Yadav chipped in with 21 earlier than getting out. Ishan Kishan didn’t final lengthy both and was run out for simply 7 runs. Pollard, seeing the state of affairs, stepped up dramatically, hitting 18 runs off one over from Sam Curran. That over actually reignited the staff’s hopes.
The following batsmen, Hardik and Krunal Pandya, quickly fell to Mohammed Shami, placing extra strain on Pollard, who was now virtually on his personal. He went on to smash 10 sixes and three fours in simply 31 balls—a surprising show that saved the match alive for Mumbai. Sadly, Pollard bought out within the final over after they had been simply 4 runs shy of the win. However Alzarri Joseph and Rahul Chahar managed to complete the job, taking singles and doubles as they crossed the end line. It was a wild match, with Pollard’s efficiency being the standout spotlight, proving as soon as once more why he was such an important participant for Mumbai Indians.
