IPL 2023: "Kieron Pollard will have a special place in the heart of every MI fan" - Twitter lauds all-rounder's loyalty to Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians earlier today announced their decision to release Kieron Pollard ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, thus putting the curtains on a 13-year-old relationship. He has now been bestowed with the role of batting coach with the franchise.

Pollard was signed by the Mumbai Indians for an undisclosed sum via a tie-breaker back in 2010 that broke the deadlock between four teams. Notably, he was involved in each of their five title-winning IPL seasons.

Although Pollard's form has been under the scanner for some time, he finishes with a terrific record. He has amassed 3412 runs from 189 matches at a staggering strike rate of 147.32. The star all-rounder also took 69 wickets, with the best match haul of 4/44, and has captained the franchise sporadically.

Following the decision, the Twitterati extended gratitude to the Caribbean all-rounder for his excellent contributions over the years and his unquestionable loyalty to the Mumbai Indians franchise. Check out some of the posts below.

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Kieron Pollard belongs to a small set of players to have played for only one IPL franchise

The swashbuckling Caribbean all-rounder finished his IPL career as the highest-capped overseas player (189). Apart from winning two Champions League T20 titles, Pollard has won the most number of IPL titles for an overseas player.

Kieron Pollard is amongst a limited set of players who have represented only one franchise in their entire IPL career. Among the players to have played at least 100 matches are - Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2008), Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011), Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians from 2013), and Lasith Malinga (who had two stints at Mumbai).

Mumbai's decision to release Kieron Pollard ahead of the IPL 2023 auction came solely with the motive of having a bigger purse. While they are known to form long-standing bonds with their players, Pollard's transition to the coaching staff came as no surprise.