Dubai, Nov 14 — MI Emirates on Saturday announced Kieron Pollard as their wildcard signing for the upcoming season of the ILT20. The move brings the former West Indies back into the fold for the tournament held in the UAE, where he has been a part of it since its inception in 2023.
“Wildcard. Locked. POLLY is coming home!” wrote the franchise on its social media accounts. Last season too Pollard was brought in as a wildcard player, alongside Nicholas Pooran, after the league’s first auction was held. In the last season, MI Emirates came close to winning the trophy but lost the final to Desert Vipers, who won their first title.
Pollard arrives with a record few boast of in the cricketing world. He has played 754 T20 matches, the most by any cricketer, and amassed 14,999 runs at an average of 31.71 and a strike rate of 150.92. He is 63 runs short of overtaking Jos Buttler as the format’s leading run-getter.
His bond with the MI group began when he turned out for them in the IPL from 2010 to 2022, before becoming their batting coach, and was recently named as their head coach for the 2027 season.
The new role in MI led to Pollard making room in his busy schedule. He quit as head coach of MI London in the men’s Hundred, a decision taken in early November, and has also opted out of his playing contract with Joburg Super Kings (JSK) in the SA20.
At MI Emirates, Pollard will play under head coach Mark Boucher, the former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter. Boucher took charge from former India all-rounder Robin Singh, under whom MI Emirates won the ILT20 title in 2024. The 2026/27 ILT20 will run from November 21 to December 20 in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Previously, MI Emirates appointed ex-South Africa player Colin Ingram as their assistant coach and former India men’s fielding coach T. Dilip as their fielding coach, with Paras Mhambrey, who recently left the Mumbai Indians setup, continuing as their bowling coach.