“I told them he is here, come and sign him” – Dwayne Bravo recollects how he asked Mumbai Indians to sign Kieron Pollard


“I told them he is here, come and sign him” – Dwayne Bravo recollects how he asked Mumbai Indians to sign Kieron Pollard

Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard

Kieron Pollard is undoubtedly one of the greats of the game of cricket in the T20 format. The explosive West Indian all-rounder has made a name for himself as one of the best finishers of all time and especially in the Indian Premier League (IPL), he has set the stage alight on a plethora of occasions.

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Appearing from the Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise right from when he was signed in 2010, Pollard has become the vice-captain of the side and one of the most feared batsmen as well. Even very recently in the now-suspended IPL 2021 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Pollard struck a 34-ball 87 to lead his side to victory in a huge chase of 219. The win was the side’s last before the suspension of the tournament and also one of the most thrilling in recent history.

Now, Pollard’s dear friend and fellow Trinidadian Dwayne Bravo who is a part of the CSK franchise but was a part of MI in 2010, has revealed as to how he convinced the franchise of Pollard’s talent and convinced them to sign him.

Dwayne Bravo on the story of MI signing Kieron Pollard in 2010

Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard
Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard

On the occasion of Kieron Pollard’s birthday yesterday, Cricbuzz shared a video of Dwayne Bravo recalling the story behind MI signing the all-rounder way back in 2010. “When Mumbai Indians needed a replacement for me, I gave them Kieron Pollard’s name. When they tried contacting him, he was playing for a club, so I recommended Dwayne Smith and he became my replacement,” Bravo said.

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Continuing, Bravo said, “The following year, when it was the Champions League, I called them and told, Pollard, he’s here. Come and sign him now before the tournament starts. Rahul and Robin Singh left Mumbai and came to Hyderabad, I’ll never forget they came with a contract which at that time was 200,000 USD. I called Pollard, who came downstairs and met them both in the lobby. He saw the contract. Now for s coming from Trinidad, as a 19-year-old, that was wow. He said, ‘Dwayne are you serious?”

Speaking finally of the meteoric growth of Pollard into one of the greatest in the world, “It so happened in that same tournament, Pollard was unbelievable. The entire world stood on their feet and applauded him. Everyone wanted to know who’s this kid. When a shout came around that Mumbai already signed him, it was forced to go into the mini-auction. Eventually Mumbai won the bid. You cannot see Mumbai Indians without Pollard today,” Bravo signed off.

With regard to the West Indian national team, they don’t have any series scheduled for the near future and hence, the likes of Bravo and Pollard would aim at getting time off and focusing on preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

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