Dwayne Bravo recalls how he helped Mumbai Indians discover 19-year-old Kieron Pollard

Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Kieron Pollard is easily one of the most bankable players for the franchise if not in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a whole. The West Indies legend has time and again proved his worth with some extraordinary performances for the Blues. However, not many people know how the Rohit Sharma-lead team discovered Kieron Pollard when most of the cricketing world was unaware of him. Pollard's long-time friend and former MI cricketer Dwayne Bravo recently spilled the beans on how his then-IPL team found out about the West Indies great. 

The beginning of Pollard and MI's love story

"When Mumbai Indians needed a replacement forme, I gave them Kieron Pollard's name. When they tried contacting him, he was playing for a club, so I recommended Dwayne Smith and he became my replacement. The following year, when it was the Champions League, I called Rahul (Sanghvi) and told, 'Pollard, he's here. Come and sign him now before the tournament starts'. Rahul and Robin (Singh) left Mumbai and came to Hyderabad, I'll never forget they came with a contract which at that time was 2,00,000 USD. I called Pollard, who came downstairs and met them both in the lobby. He saw the contract. Now for us coming from Trinidad, as a 19-year-old, that was wow. He said, 'Dwayne are you serious?" Bravo recalled. 

"It so happened in that same tournament, Pollard was unbelievable. The entire world stood on their feet and applauded him. Everyone wanted to know who's this kid. When a shout came around that Mumbai already signed him, it was forced to go into the mini-auction. IPL had put up a clause that no franchise can pay more than 7,50,000 USD to get him and eventually Mumbai won the bid. You cannot see Mumbai Indians without Pollard today, the CSK star added. 

Mumbai Indians bought Pollard in 2010 after a fierce bidding war with three other teams, who wanted to invest in the young West Indian talent as well. Mumbai Indians fought hard against Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kolkata Knight Riders before finally acquiring Pollard. The bidding started with $2,00,000 and went up until all teams reached the price cap of $7,50,000. However, as a tie-breaker, all four teams were asked to place a silent bid, which wouldn't be revealed, and the franchise quoting the highest price could buy Pollard. KKR withdrew, while MI, CSK, and KKR placed their bids. It is no surprise which team finally won the battle and took Pollard home. 

Pollard has played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL ever since and has even been appointed the vice-captain of the franchise. He leads when the regular skipper Rohit Sharma doesn't play in the final XI. Pollard has won five titles with the franchise and has helped the team win many matches single-handedly on several occasions. 

Image Credit: BCCI/Pollard/Facebook