BORN: 12 May 1987, Tacarigua, Trinidad, West Indies
TEAMS: MI
BATS: RIGHT-HANDED
BOWLS: RIGHT-ARM MEDIUM FAST
One may consider Kieron Pollard to be an inexperienced player, given he has only appeared in a handful of ODIs for the West Indies, but one can be sure that the Trinidadian is a pretty talented cricketer and has all the makings of a match winner. From the moment he scored a 71 ball century on his first class debut (including a first ball six), Pollard was spoken about as one who had a lot of potential to go the distance.
Though disappointing in his outings for the West Indies, Pollard established a reputation for himself in the Champions League Twenty20 in 2009, where he was one of the star performers while his team ended up runners-up. That reputation helped him bag a contract with the South Australian Redbacks; he made an impact immediately, finishing as the team's leading run-scorer and guiding them to their first Big Bash final.
No boundary can be too big for the 22 year old Trinidadian who can be a very dangerous customer in the 20-over format, destructive form the moment he takes guard. A livewire on the field, Pollard is a very good catcher and an athletic fielder; he is a very handy bowler too and his wicket-to-wicket line can strangle batsmen.
Given his all round capabilities, it came as no surprise that Pollard drew fierce competition from four franchises at the IPL Auction 2010. Eventually though, it was the Mumbai Indians who won him through the silent tie breaker for an undisclosed sum, and they will be hoping he can help change their fortunes around this season.
