When Kieron Pollard dropped three consecutive catches of Michael Hussey in MI vs CSK match [Watch]

Former West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard, widely regarded as one of the finest fielders and catchers in world cricket, retired from the IPL in 2022. With 103 catches, he stands as the third-most successful fielder in the tournament's history, having taken some stunning catches throughout his career. However, in a rare and surprising moment, the former Mumbai Indians (MI) star once dropped three catches in a single over off the same batter.

The incident took place during the 49th match of the 2013 Indian Premier League between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 5 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After opting to bat first, MI finished their 20 overs at 139/5, with skipper Rohit Sharma top-scoring, remaining unbeaten on 39 off 30 balls.

In response, during the fourth ball of the first over of CSK's innings, Michael Hussey hit Mitchell Johnson towards the point region, where Pollard dropped the catch, unintentionally palming it over his head to the boundary. On the very next delivery, Hussey played another shot towards point, and Pollard dropped him again, granting Hussey a second reprieve in consecutive balls.

Then, on the final ball of the over, Johnson bowled a short and wide delivery, which Hussey cut straight to Pollard. Once again, the MI cricketer failed to hold onto the catch, with the ball striking him in the face as he fumbled his third opportunity.

Here’s a video of the three dropped catches:

Meanwhile, in the third over of the Super Kings' innings, Pollard seized the opportunity, taking a brilliant catch to dismiss Suresh Raina for a duck. Hussey scored 22, while Murali Vijay (2), Subramaniam Badrinath (0), Dwayne Bravo (9), and Ravichandran Ashwin (2) all failed to make an impact, as CSK lost six wickets for just 40 runs.

Skipper MS Dhoni contributed 10, and Ravindra Jadeja scored 20, but CSK were eventually bowled out for 79 in 15.2 overs, falling short by 60 runs. Mitchell Johnson and Pragyan Ojha each claimed three wickets for Mumbai Indians.

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A look at Kieron Pollard’s career in the IPL

Kieron Pollard joined Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2010 and remained with the franchise until his IPL retirement in 2022. Over the course of his career, he played 189 matches for MI, scoring 3,412 runs at an average of 28.67 and a strike rate of 147.32, including 16 fifties, with his highest score being an unbeaten 87. The Caribbean all-rounder also took 69 wickets.

Pollard won five IPL titles with MI (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020) and captained the team in six matches, winning four of them. After retiring from IPL, he joined the MI setup as a batting coach ahead of the 2023 season.