Veteran India spinner Harbhajan Singh feels that it might be the time for Mumbai Indians to make the tough call by releasing Kieron Pollard ahead of the mini-auction. Pollard has been part of the Mumbai Indian franchise since 2010 as he shared a great bond with the team for the past many years. The Windies all-rounder was part of the leadership group in the past many years but his below-par show in last season has put his place under the scanner.
He scored 144 runs in 11 matches for Mumbai last season at an underwhelming strike rate of 107.46.
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Mumbai Indians had a forgettable IPL 2022 as they finished at the bottom of the points table with just four wins out of 14 matches. Pollard was retained by the five-time IPL champions for a whopping INR 6 crore as they let go of Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult and preferred him over them.
Harbhajan feels that it is going to be difficult for Mumbai to take the call but suggested that the management has to find his replacement to move forward in future.
“Well, I think it’s going to be very difficult for Mumbai Indians to release Kieron Pollard. He’s been there for many years. But yes, there are times when you have to take a few tough calls and maybe this is the time. They have to move forward and make a team for the next 4-5 years and try to find someone who can do what Pollard has done over the years," Harbhajan said on Star Sports.
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The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has already set a November 15 deadline for the franchises to send the final list of retained players. This time around, each team can retain up to 15 players and have to release the remaining 10. However, last year, the team size was set to a maximum of 25 while the minimum number of players in a team was 18.
The veteran spinner, who has played for Mumbai Indians in the past, feels that they should target young Australia all-rounder Cameron Green in the upcoming mini-auction.
“Yes, they have Tim David, who can do a similar sort of job and of course, there is another Australian in the auction that is Cameroon Green. I think they will be eyeing him to be part of the Mumbai set-up. Of course, it’s going to be a tough call, but at some stage, you have to take those calls," Harbhajan added.
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