- Pollard: “Nothing will faze me” as MI head coach Pollard said it was “fantastic” for him to learn from Jayawardene and said he wanted to show MI fans they had “fire in their bellies”. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 4 or 5 but leaves the final round against Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the ODI final against South Africa on September 30 and will not be able to play in the final Test. Australia have lost two of their last four Tests by narrow margins and the lack of partnerships – or more than one batsman standing at any given time – has hurt them the most. Travis Head struggled the most for Australia after their follow-up match, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. Lyon was missing from the eleven for Australia’s second Test for the third time in eight Tests, but Ctain Cummins said his name would be “at the forefront” of discussions before decision-makers Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland were ruled out after keeping India at bay for 110 balls, Australia v India, 4th over. Test, Melbourne, Day 4, December 29, 2024 Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson will be in the conversation as South Africa look to field a fast bowler in place of Anrich Nortje in the Ce Town Test. Anrich Nortje literally bent his back to make the batters jump in the first hour, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Day 2, Durban, October 10, 2026. His body slumped and two remained at the crease, the fast bowler put everything on the line to deliver Australia’s unforgettable win at Ce Town in 2014. A concussion, a sore neck and low results – Steven Smith will be looking to turn things around at Newlands, the scene of the Sandpergate scandal. Steven Smith’s neck required medical attention after surviving a close hit in the 27th over, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21 October 2026 Simon Harmer celebrates a wicket, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21 October 2026 Harry Brook walks off after scoring 202 from 116 balls England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after hitting a six on the penultimate ball to win the game. Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after hitting a six off the penultimate ball to win the game, England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Harry Brook put himself in illustrious company at Pindi – but the only stat that mattered was his side’s defeat, Will Jacks congratulates Harry Brook on his double century, England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard look hpy before game starts, Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023 Eliminator, May 24, 2023 New Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Kieron Pollard wants his team to be “brave” to overcome the fear of failure and wants to show MI fans that they have the “fire in their bellies” to reverse last seasons’ results.
- The hardest thing, Pollard said, would be if the results weren’t consistent, but he added that “nothing will faze me.” MI has not won the IPL since 2020 and has been led by different coaches since then.
- This will be Pollard’s first stint as head coach in the IPL; He has previously been the hitting coach since he stopped playing the tournament in 2022.
Pollard: “Nothing will faze me” as MI head coach Pollard said it was “fantastic” for him to learn from Jayawardene and said he wanted to show MI fans they had “fire in their bellies”. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 4 or 5 but leaves the final round against Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the ODI final against South Africa on September 30 and will not be able to play in the final Test. Australia have lost two of their last four Tests by narrow margins and the lack of partnerships – or more than one batsman standing at any given time – has hurt them the most. Travis Head struggled the most for Australia after their follow-up match, South Africa vs Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. Lyon was missing from the eleven for Australia’s second Test for the third time in eight Tests, but Ctain Cummins said his name would be “at the forefront” of discussions before decision-makers Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland were ruled out after keeping India at bay for 110 balls, Australia v India, 4th over. Test, Melbourne, Day 4, December 29, 2024 Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson will be in the conversation as South Africa look to field a fast bowler in place of Anrich Nortje in the Ce Town Test. Anrich Nortje literally bent his back to make the batters jump in the first hour, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Day 2, Durban, October 10, 2026. His body slumped and two remained at the crease, the fast bowler put everything on the line to deliver Australia’s unforgettable win at Ce Town in 2014. A concussion, a sore neck and low results – Steven Smith will be looking to turn things around at Newlands, the scene of the Sandpergate scandal. Steven Smith’s neck required medical attention after surviving a close hit in the 27th over, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21 October 2026 Simon Harmer celebrates a wicket, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21 October 2026 Harry Brook walks off after scoring 202 from 116 balls England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after hitting a six on the penultimate ball to win the game. Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after hitting a six off the penultimate ball to win the game, England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Harry Brook put himself in illustrious company at Pindi – but the only stat that mattered was his side’s defeat, Will Jacks congratulates Harry Brook on his double century, England v Sri Lanka, Tri Series, October 22, 2026 Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard look hpy before game starts, Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023 Eliminator, May 24, 2023 New Mumbai Indians (MI) head coach Kieron Pollard wants his team to be “brave” to overcome the fear of failure and wants to show MI fans that they have the “fire in their bellies” to reverse last seasons’ results.
The hardest thing, Pollard said, would be if the results weren’t consistent, but he added that “nothing will faze me.” MI has not won the IPL since 2020 and has been led by different coaches since then. This will be Pollard’s first stint as head coach in the IPL; He has previously been the hitting coach since he stopped playing the tournament in 2022. “The beauty of it is that you can set the tone for the team in any environment,” Pollard said of his new role.
“So that’s going to be fun. As a Caribbean guy, I think I’m all about fun, entertainment and relaxation because that’s when you’re able to perform when you’re in that zone. Of course, the hardest thing will be if the results don’t suit you.
Nothing will faze me.” MI has a star-studded team including Hardik Pandya as ctain, T20 World Cup winner Rohit Sharma at the helm and Jasprit Bumrah leading the bowling attack. Pollard’s challenge will be to get the best out of the same players to turn the team’s fortunes around. “I think a lot of it is about managing people,” Pollard said of leading his players.
“It comes down to conversations, one-on-one conversations. Yes, it comes down to team discussions and team tactics. But cricket is made up of a group of individuals who have to play a role for the team to win.
So it’s not always about what the team will do, but about what you as an individual will bring to the team with your role and your skills. What has also led to success over the years is the time spent talking about cricket outside of the formal meetings of a team meeting. That’s where you learn most of your cricket and I think that’s where the work really, really gets done. “It’s changed a lot,” Pollard said of the changing scoring trends.
“It went from 140, 160 in competition to trying not to get to 120 on the power play. That alone should tell you how this landsce has changed. Yes, there has been more listing, but it’s all good.
I think one thing in life is change, and being able to adt to change, and for us as a team and for myself as an individual, that’s the challenge. It’s never going to be the same, but being able to catch up with the evolution of where T20 cricket is going, or come up with methods where you can, as I say, slow the batsmen down. This means the bowlers have to work twice and twice as hard to achieve this.
But again, the game moves quickly, but we still have the ability as individuals to level it back up and control as much as we can at different times. Time.” Pollard also said that players should support their “natural instincts” more despite the increasing use of data. “I think it will be a battle, but no, I think the data is important,” he said. “If you look at it that way, I’ve seen a different part of the data over the last four years. While I was playing, and I can tell you this with certainty, the analyst, I spent more time with him in the last four years than I did in about 13 years as a player.
But understanding what data reveals helps you as an individual and also helps you prepare. “But I still believe that cricketers’ natural instincts should always be taken into account. So you just have to find a balance between the amount of data and the human part of cricket, which is still there because we’re still playing as humans.
It’s not a robotic game. And if you put in a length, that’s exactly what it is. Different variations occurred when the ball was thrown before it reached the batsman. In 2026, Pollard said he was heavily influenced by the careful planning.
MI has won its last three IPL titles – 2017, 2019 and 2020 – under Jayawardene. Pollard also praised the “tactical genius of what he brought to the table,” which he said “is sometimes taken for granted.” “You know, what struck me straight away (during their playing days) was how tactically accurate he was in that regard,” he said. “I think what was even more fantastic for me was having the experience of playing under him as a coach, understanding the individual and what he brings to the game of cricket and being able to push his players in different ways because of his thoroughness in planning. That has helped many of us here in Mumbai achieve the success that we would have witnessed over time.”
So that is fantastic. “And then having been under him as an assistant and hitting coach, the knowledge that I would have gained in that time from someone like him, I have to say I’m blessed to be in that position to receive everything that he had to bring from a different perspective than the opposition on the coaching staff.” Pollard said it was “fantastic” for him to learn from Jayawardene and said he wanted to show MI fans they had “a fire in their bellies”. Rohit Sharma and Kieron Pollard look hpy before the start of the match, Lucknow Super Giants vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023 Eliminator, May 24, 2023. Pollard said it was “fantastic” for him to learn from Jayawardene and said he wanted to show MI fans that they had “fire in our bellies”.
