- Big statement from Kieron Pollard
- Hardik Pandya’s captaincy will go
- Mumbai Indians will get a new captain
of the Indian Premier League The 69th match was played between Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians. Playing against Rajasthan, Mumbai Indians would have sealed their place in the playoffs, but their poor performance overshadowed the entire game. After losing to Rajasthan in the last match of the league round, Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard on Sunday admitted that skipper Hardik Pandya has failed to live up to the expectations of the franchise. With this defeat, Mumbai Indians ended their journey at the ninth position in the 10-team points table.
Hardik Pandya by Pollard About the captaincy openly commented and said that the season was not as expected by Hardik himself or the team management. Speaking to reporters after the match, he said, “Leadership-wise, things haven’t gone as Hardik wanted. But one thing is certain. We have given him every opportunity to lead the team and succeed.”
Hardik Pandya: Hardik Pandya will climb for the second time! Will tie the knot with Mahieka Sharma during IPL
Pollard did not blame one player
However, Kieron Pollard categorically refused to blame any single player for the team’s poor performance. After the team’s 10th defeat in 14 matches, he said it was a collective failure of the entire team and everyone needed to introspect. He said, “It’s not fair to sit here and blame any one player. Hardik was trying his best, we all were trying, but things didn’t go our way. Now we need to learn from our mistakes. We’ll sit together and take stock and decide what’s best for the team going forward. Hopefully, we’ll come back stronger in the next 12 months.”
He also made a statement about the future
Pollard also commented on the possibility of major changes in the squad. He said that it would not be appropriate to take any decision on the basis of emotion at this time, although certain aspects would definitely be reviewed. According to Pollard, “This is not the right time to discuss this. Every player and support staff needs some time to calmly understand where the mistakes were. It would be irresponsible from a team management point of view to make any hasty decision.”
Pollard also supported the decision to rest Jasprit Bumrah for the final series match. He said it was a wise decision taken in the interest of both the team and Indian cricket. Pollard said, “Jaspreet is a player who always gives his 100 per cent. But even if we had won the match, we would have got only two points. So, we had to consider the player’s fitness and future. He is a very important asset for Indian cricket, so it was important to make a wise decision about him.”
Caught and Hardik’s mercury rises, BCCI’s big action; What exactly happened in the MI Vs KKR match?
Comments are closed.