"Obviously it is a storyline....": SA20 commissioner Graeme Smith on Pollard joining JSK after MICT stint

The player auction held on Wednesday witnessed one of the most stunning franchise switches in T20 cricket as Pollard, a loyalist to Mumbai Indians (MI) and its sister franchises across various leagues over the years, was roped in by JSK for R 1.5 million, with the sight of Pollard turning up for the rivals in their iconic yellow colours shaping up to be one of the most important and exciting storylines ahead of the SA20 season five.

Speaking to the media during an interaction facilitated by SA20 after the auction, Graeme said, "Pollard is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world. I mean, the amount of games that he has played, the different competitions around the world. Just to have Pollard around and the experience that he will pass on to the likes of those under-23 players like Rawles (Jason Rawles, the most expensive SA20 season five signing) would be great, them sitting with him behind the scenes, never mind playing with them."

"Also, Pollard has always been quite a forthright character. He does not really mince his words and is highly competitive. Bringing that kind of energy in our tournament is exciting. Obviously, it is a storyline with his history with MI. I would obviously let Albie (Albie Morkel, the JSK coach) and Robin (Robin Peterson, the head coach of MICT) talk about their strategies between the two teams. But from a league's perspective, to have that quality of players is always exciting," he added.

Pollard has represented MI in the Indian Premier League (IPL) from 2010-2022 and its sister franchises MI Cape Town in SA20, MI New York in Major League Cricket (MLC) and MI Emirates in International League T20 (ILT20) over the years.

Notably, Pollard is currently the Mumbai Indians (MI) batting coach and the head coach of MI London in The Hundred in the UK. He also continues to play for MI Emirates and MI New York in ILT20 and MLC. Now, he will be joining the four-time playoff-reaching JSK and boosting their chances for a first-ever SA20 title, which has so far been won thrice by Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SEC) and once by MICT in 2025.

During his 12-year stint with Mumbai Indians, Pollard's battles with CSK were very productive, having made 583 runs in 27 matches and 23 innings at an average of 36.44 and a strike rate of almost 172, with four fifties and a best score of 87*. He also took 14 wickets at an average of 27.57, with best figures of 2/12.

Notably, Pollard is the second-highest run-scorer in T20Is and just one run away from the 15,000-run mark, with 14,999 runs in 754 matches and 651 innings at an average of 31.71 and a strike rate of almost 151, with two centuries and 71 fifties. He also has 341 wickets at an average of 25.36, with best figures of 4/15.

Turning up for MI Cape Town in the 2023/24 and 2025/26 SA20 seasons, Pollard has made 207 runs in 11 innings at an average of 29.57 and a strike rate of 171.07, with a best score of 33*. He has also taken four wickets.

Season 5 of the SA20 gets underway on Sunday, January 17, at St George's Park, with the defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape taking on the Pretoria Capitals in a repeat of last season's final. The competition culminates with the Final at Newlands on Sunday, February 21. (ANI)