Kieron Pollard withdraws from Joburg Super Kings SA20 season
Pollard pulls out of SA20 after MI appointment, leaving Joburg Super Kings to find a replacement.
Kieron Pollard has pulled out of the Joburg Super Kings SA20 season after Mumbai Indians named him head coach for IPL 2027. The all-rounder told the franchise he couldn't play just one day after replacing Mahela Jayawardene at MI.
Joburg Super Kings paid R1.5 million for Pollard at the SA20 auction on October 7, after MI Cape Town took Shimron Hetmyer instead. Pollard had already played for MI Cape Town in the competition. The move stops the awkward sight of MI's coach lining up for the sister franchise of their IPL rivals Chennai Super Kings.
CSK chief executive Kasi Viswanathan confirmed the withdrawal to Cricbuzz and said the franchise is now looking for a replacement. Pollard won five IPL titles with Mumbai Indians as a player, then moved into coaching as batting coach before taking the top job.
CricHubb Take
The awkward part isn't Pollard's choice—it's that MI now need to decide whether their head coach can still be loaned out to other leagues, or whether every IPL appointment will now come with a quiet 'no other teams' clause.