LONDON: West Indies legend Kieron Pollard can play a big role in helping Mumbai Indians win this year's Indian Premier League, according to head coach Mark Boucher.
Pollard, who is currently the batting coach for the IPL Giants, had an illustrious career with the club, winning five titles in eight seasons, including four as captain.
South African Boucher has been the head coach since last season and his experience and knowledge will be crucial in helping the current MI squad win the club's first IPL title since 2020. He said it would be.
“(Pollard) is great. He's a big personality in the locker room. He's a strong person and a lot of players trust him and respect him,” Boucher told sports news website SportsBoom.com. Ta.
“Every time Polly opens his mouth in the dressing room, people listen. It's not because he's trying to push them against the wall, it's because they know what he's done.
“Having him in the dressing room has a calming effect on our batting. Our batting stats, the aggressive nature of how we went about things (last year), the calm in the dugout, that type of thing. Look at all of that stuff. I think a lot of it comes down to the way Polly is, his attitude, and the understanding that he has.
“He still plays for franchises around the world and knows who is playing good cricket and we draw from that,” he added.
Boucher said the team had high hopes for next season, which begins on March 22 and concludes on May 26 if they are successful in the grand final.
“I think whenever you join the Mumbai Indians there are high expectations and you always expect to win. We've won championships many times. The owners and the fans can smell that. And they want to do it every time,” he said.
He particularly praised the team's batting performance and positive style of cricket last season, and acknowledged the challenges faced by the bowling department as a result of injuries. Although the Indians fell short of their goal of winning, finishing in third place, Boucher said he thought it was a commendable effort given the circumstances.
“Our bowling was a little embarrassing because we had injuries. The third position is not what we wanted. We wanted to win, but considering what we went through last season, third place is a bad performance. “But maybe if I made a catch here and there I could have made it to the finals, but you never know what's going to happen in the finals,” he said.
“We believe in the spinners who are already in the team. Piyush (Chawla) had a great season last time. Probably no one expected him to have such an impact. I We support him in doing the same,” he added.
Boucher also emphasized the importance of achieving results at the team's home stadium, Wankhede, as well as the team's ability to adapt to different conditions at away grounds.
“In home games at Wankhede, spin doesn't play a huge role in the game. So, our team puts a lot of emphasis on home conditions, but if you go to another venue and the ball spins and grips, “Even if we do, we feel we can provide sufficient cover. We feel we have the personnel to strengthen those conditions,” he said.
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