Kieron Pollard Issues 1st Statement After Becoming Mumbai Indians Head Coach

Soumyajit Dutta

Kieron Pollard for Mumbai Indians [Source: AFP]

Kieron Pollard has taken over the Mumbai Indians head coaching duty after previous head coach Mahela Jayawardene parted ways last week.

Pollard, who has been associated with the franchise since 2010 and has also been the batting coach, has now opened up about how he feels he could guide the team ahead of IPL 2027.

Notably, MI haven't been doing well in the last few IPL seasons and have been finishing at the bottom of the points table.

Kieron Pollard's appointment and his talk speak of some massive turnarounds in the upcoming year, while he also sent out a warning for CSK and RCB fans.

Pollard assures fans of new results after dismal previous seasons

MI, the five-time champions of the IPL, haven't been at their very best in the last few years. They finished in 9th, 4th and 10th place in the past three seasons, with multiple captaincy change demands also being raised in reports.

Addressing the poor condition of the team and how Kieron Pollard can turn things around, he spoke on the social media of Mumbai Indians to address fans and rekindle hope.

"We have not been as great as you (fans) want us to be and the first step to getting better is acknowledging, and we acknowledge that you are still the most loyal fans to us, the Paltan, and hopefully, we can continue to show that passion that you have seen over the years, and we can relive some of those memories with some of the new generation cricketers," Kieron Pollard said in a video posted by Mumbai Indians on Saturday.

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Pollard wants full fan support at Wankhede

In recent years, teams like RCB and CSK have dominated with their fan bases, and some glimpses of that domination have been seen at the Wankhede too.

What was once a sea of blue flags has slowly diminished and been dominated by RCB and CSK flags. The new MI head coach has hence urged the fans of Mumbai Indians to support their team and show the same passion.

"When you walk into the Wankhede Stadium, you are not seeing the yellows and the reds and stuff like that. You want to see that blue flag flying, and you want to see that passion and spirit from the fans. And that can only come firstly from us," Kieron Pollard, the newly appointed MI head coach, said.

"So that's where our work sort of starts in terms of understanding what we are playing for and who we are playing for. We recognize the fact that we have not been where we wanted to be in the last couple of years. So there's no hiding, sort of from that.

But what's going to happen is that we're going to try our best now to ensure that we continue to play for that badge, put the team above self, and then ensure that when the opposition comes,” Kieron Pollard said.

Kieron Pollard then concluded by saying that looking at the past is not the solution. Putting the work above themselves and fighting for the ultimate trophy is what will matter ahead of IPL 2027.