New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Former West Indies cricketer Kieron Pollard is set to step down as MI London’s head coach after earning a promotion with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the same role.
Pollard was in charge of MI London for the 2026 season, where he took his team to a fourth-place finish. They missed out on qualifying for the knockouts by virtue of having an inferior NRR after they were tied on points with Manchester Super Giants and Sunrisers Leeds.
A report in Cricinfo stated that Pollard is now set to leave MI London to get some time off, as The Hundred franchise will have a new head coach now. This leaves The Oval with two roles open for the head coach.
Earlier, Surrey head coach Gareth Batty left his role with the English club to take over as assistant coach at Chennai Super Kings. Surrey co-owns MI London with Reliance Industries Limited, and the Oval is the home ground for both Surrey and MI London.
Surrey are likely to invite interested candidates for their head coach role, and the successful candidate can be allowed to work with MI London, the report added.
Late last month, Pollard was promoted to MI’s head coach in the IPL. He served as the batting coach in recent years and takes over the head coach role from Mahela Jayawardene.
“It is an honour to take on the role of Head Coach of Mumbai Indians. MI has been a huge part of my life and career, and the bond I share with this team, the players and the Paltan means a great deal to me. Having experienced this journey as a player and then as a coach, I understand what Mumbai Indians stands for and the responsibility that comes with representing the Blue and Gold. I am grateful to Mrs Nita Ambani, Akash Ambani and the entire MI family for their trust in me. I look forward to working closely with the players and support staff, building on the team’s legacy, helping our talent grow and giving the Paltan many more reasons to celebrate,” Pollard had said.
–IANS
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