Infamous for his hot temper on-field, West Indies cricketer Kieron Pollard announced his retirement from all international formats on Wednesday. He continues to play for his IPL franchise of Mumbai Indians. Here is a look at his top IPL altercations on field:
IPL 2012, DJ Bravo vs Kieron Pollard:
In the IPL 2012, when two Caribbean players from the same region, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, alternately played Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, there was a friendly conquest shown in the season’s eliminator match.
Also read: Kieron Pollard retires: Best of West Indies captain on the crease
Mumbai were making a strong push for the final, but as Bravo targeted Pollard, the bowler signalled flight-back action, which meant good-bye, fly back to your home now.’
IPL 2013: Shane Watson vs Kieron Pollard:
Pollard faced off against Shane Watson of the Rajasthan Royals in the 2013 IPL. The brawl lasted longer because both of them were yelling venomous expletives at each other throughout the game.
Watson batted for his team in the fifth over and lasted till the tenth. Until then, the antagonism between the two persisted.
Also read: Kieron Pollard, one of the best T20I stars, never played Test cricket
Not only that, but it extended all the way to the bench, where Watson was yelling at Pollard, prompting the team captain to beg that he return to the dressing room to avoid the resolution.
IPL 2014: Mitchell Starc vs Kieron Pollard
Pollard’s other rivalry occurred during the 2014 IPL season. He engaged in a duel with Australia’s Mitchell Starc, who was then playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore under Virat Kohli.
Starc delivered a hard bouncer that resulted in a duck to that particular bowl. As MI prepared for their battle to the final in Wankhede Stadium, Pollard became agitated and purposefully stepped aside as Starc returned to his bowling spot, spewing venomous comments.
Also read: Kieron Pollard retires: West Indies star’s career in numbers
Kieron Pollard’s next move was to try to cast the bat towards Starc, but he was luckily able to draw out of the throw. Chris Gayle and the umpires were forced to interfere to prevent the collapse.
IPL 2012, Virat Kohli vs Kieron Pollard:
The incident with Virat Kohli occurred during the same match as the Pollard versus Starc dispute, as the Mumbai Indians’ player was observed arguing with the former RCB skipper at several points during the game.