Ahead of the upcoming ILT20 season, MI Emirates has appointed former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard as its new captain, who has been associated with the Mumbai Indians franchise for a long time. The all-rounder replaced Nicholas Pooran as captain for the fourth edition, who led the team last season.
The fourth season of the tournament will be played from December 2 to January 4, with matches taking place in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Earlier in October, the league held its first player auction, where Andre Fletcher was the most expensive buy when MI Emirates bought him for $260,000.
MI Emirates appoints former West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard as captain
MI Emirates announced that Kieron Pollard will lead the team in the fourth ILT20 season. The franchise said that his power-hitting, smart bowling, strong fielding and leadership skills will help the team a lot.
“We have news! Blue and Gold icon Kieron Pollard is all set to captain MI Emirates in the fourth season of the ILT20,” the statement read.
“A part of our winning team of Season 2, apart from seven title wins with Mumbai Indians (five IPL, two CLT20s), and don’t forget, two MLCs (2023 and 2025), he certainly knows a thing or two about bringing home titles. We can’t wait for his big sixes, clever bowling, fortress-like fielding and his captain’s mind to fight till the end to put away matches.”
“Bring out the drums, blow the bugle, Captain Polly has touched!” The statement ended.
Kieron Pollard’s team will start its campaign on December 4.
Kieron Pollard is one of the most successful players in T20 cricket. He has won a record 18 titles in tournaments like IPL, Champions League T20, MLC and ILT20. His explosive batting and strong leadership makes him a key player in the global T20 league.
MI Emirates will soon begin their pre-season preparations for the fourth ILT20 season. There will be six teams and a total of 34 matches in the league.
MI Emirates begin their campaign on 4 December against the Gulf giants. With the experience of Pollard and the firepower of Nicholas Pooran, the franchise is being considered one of the favorites to win the title once again. They won the championship in the 2024 season under the captaincy of Puran.
Nicholas Pooran may not be available for the entire duration of MI’s Emirates campaign
MI Emirates has built a strong West Indian core for the upcoming ILT20 season. Along with Nicholas Pooran and new captain Kieron Pollard, the team also has Andre Fletcher, who was the most expensive buy in the ILT20 auction, as well as youngsters Akeem Auguste and Romario Shepherd.
However, the franchise may face an availability problem with Puran. The final leg of the ILT20 season is expected to clash with the opening week of South Africa’s SA20 league, where Pooran represents MI Cape Town. He may miss the final leg of MI’s Emirates campaign.
The team has also added several new players through the auction, including Mohammad Rohid, Jordan Thompson, Naveen-ul-Haq, Nostush Kenjige, Mohammad Shafiq, Zain Ul Abedin, Usman Khan, Arab Gul, Tajinder Dhillon, Zahoor Khan and Shakib Al Hasan.
They retained players like Fazalhaq Farooqui, Tom Banton, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Muhammad Wasim, Kamindu Mendis and Romario Shepherd.
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