SA20: 16 years after losing Pollard in auction, Super Kings finally sign MI legend
Kieron Pollard has spent much of his career in Mumbai Indians blue, tormenting Chennai Super Kings with some memorable IPL knocks along the way. When Mumbai Indians joined hands with Cape Town for the inaugural edition of the SA20, Pollard was part of that journey too. Now, however, he will not be seen in the blue MI jersey in the SA20. Instead, Pollard will wear Super Kings yellow after Joburg Super Kings bought him for R1.5 million at the Season 5 auction.
Sixteen years after CSK tried to sign him at the 2010 IPL auction, Pollard will finally play for a Super Kings franchise, although it is Jo’burg rather than Chennai that has secured his services.
Pollard was one of the biggest names in the 2010 auction after his performances for Trinidad and Tobago had put him firmly on the radar of IPL franchises. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders were all involved in the bidding, which reached the maximum permitted amount of $750,000.
With more than one team reaching that figure, the winner was decided through a secret tie-breaker. Mumbai Indians came out on top and Pollard began what became a 13-season IPL career with the franchise.
He went on to score 3,412 runs and take 69 wickets for Mumbai Indians, while being part of all five of their IPL title-winning campaigns. Pollard also featured in both of the franchise’s Champions League T20-winning campaigns, establishing himself as one of the most successful players in their history.
Even after retiring from the IPL in 2022, Pollard remained with Mumbai Indians. He moved into coaching as their batting coach and continued to be involved with the franchise’s teams in other competitions.
That included MI Emirates in the ILT20, MI New York in Major League Cricket and MI Cape Town in the SA20. Pollard captained MI Cape Town during the 2024 season, scoring 187 runs at a strike rate of 185.15. He was not part of their title-winning campaign in 2025 but returned midway through the 2026 season as Rashid Khan’s replacement and played two matches.
Pollard’s departure from MI Cape Town comes after several seasons in which he was one of the familiar faces of the franchise. Mumbai Indians released him ahead of the latest auction, leaving him available alongside 155 other players for the 19 slots that were up for grabs.
Joburg Super Kings were in the strongest financial position going into the auction, with R20.6 million left in their purse and six slots to fill. They used R1.5 million of that amount to sign Pollard, who went unopposed at the auction.
The move gives Pollard his first stint with a Super Kings franchise and takes him into a new dressing room after years with the MI setup. It also brings an old IPL auction story back into focus.CSK could not get Pollard in 2010 when they were competing with Mumbai Indians for his signature. Sixteen years later, he will finally wear yellow, although it will be the Joburg Super Kings jersey rather than the Chennai Super Kings shirt.
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