IPL 2016: Kieron Pollard the all-rounder must step up if Mumbai Indians are to shine

It was a familiar situation for Kieron Pollard on Wednesday night when he walked out to bat for the Mumbai Indians (MI) against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chinnaswamy stadium in India’s silicon city of Bangalore. His team needed a tricky 73 off the seven remaining overs. An over later, a set Ambati Rayudu was taken out by Varun Aaron. The asking was still over 10; another wicket, and lesser batsmen would start making an appearance.

The experienced IPL cricketer that he is, Pollard first calmed the nerves of Jos Buttler by taking the initiative and then let his partner join the party. He scored a typically whirlwind 35 off 19 balls in the process, getting his side over the line for a crucial win. Last month against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) he hit a similar 51 not out in 24 balls with six sixes in the innings to see his team through yet again.

MI has come to expect such performances from their talisman cricketer whom they lapped up for three-quarter of a million US dollars and more in the 2010 season auction. The Trinidadian has stayed loyal to MI ever since, and today shoulders the responsibility of a senior cricketer in the squad. He performs that role admirably too, as illustrated above. Only the batting part, that is.

Records suggest that every time MI have done well, be it their two IPL wins or the two Champions League T20 (CL T20) titles that they have won, it is the all-rounder in Kieron Pollard that has come to the party. Take the last season for example, when MI won their second IPL title.

Not only was Pollard their third highest run scorer amassing 419 runs at an excellent average of 38 and a typically scintillating strike rate of 163, but he also snared nine catches and picked up three wickets in the season to round off a brilliant IPL campaign in a winning cause.

The number of wickets might appear as insignificant, but his crucial contributions with the ball in hand that year go much beyond numbers. That last over against a dangerous Yusuf Pathan of KKR in a must-win group match with just 12 required to win, comes to mind. Pollard not only got Pathan out off the first ball of the over but also ended the game with three consecutive dot balls to seal victory for his side.

It was even better in the 2013 season, the year which saw the great Sachin Tendulkar win his only IPL title with MI. Pollard led his side’s batting averages (an impressive 42) that year and was their second highest run-getter with 420 runs at a season’s strike rate of 149.

He backed that up with 10 wickets with the ball and pouched the season's second best 12 catches. Some brilliant run outs also come to mind.

In MI’s two CL T20 wins as well, Pollard’s telling contributions came in all departments of the game – be it batting, bowling or fielding.

Not the best IPL campaign so far

Pollard’s bowling has not been up to the mark

In contrast, the IPL 2016 season thus far has only seen the batsman Kieron Pollard take the field for MI. So while his batting average, contributions and six-hitting prowess remain the same, it is on the field that the Pollard of old has not turned up yet.

He has just bowled six overs in the 10 matches so far and has failed to pick up a wicket. He has taken four catches, which is also down from his overall catches per innings statistics for MI. He has also been missing as an imposing figure on the field. No brilliant run outs or wild celebrations involving him come to mind.

In the absence of Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga, Pollard is probably the senior-most figure in the team after Harbhajan Singh. Under the circumstances, one would have expected him, comparatively fresher than other international cricketers given that he did not play the preceding World T20, to come out all guns blazing.

It is already established how crucial his all-round performance is to the overall success of MI. It could be that the loss due to injury of fellow West-Indian Lendl Simmons, MI’s leading run scorer over the last two IPL seasons, is weighing heavily on him, making him concentrate more on his batting.

Whatever be the reason, with the group stage reaching its last leg and the fight for the four play-off spots getting tighter by the day, the all-rounder in Kieron Pollard will have to show up if MI have to make any significant headway in the tournament. The match against the Kings XI Punjab today in the lovely port city of Visakhapatnam is as good a place for that to happen as any.

Maybe now that he has had time to settle down in MI’s new ‘home’ city whose wonderful scenery combines the sea and the mountains, like some of those lovely Caribbean islands, Pollard will start imposing himself as only he can, and make this IPL season his own.