Indian Premier League giants Mumbai Indians's batting coach Kieron Pollard on Sunday was named the captain of SA20 side MI Cape Town. The former West Indies all-rounder replaced Rashid Khan, who is recovering after back surgery, as the skipper of the Mumbai outfit's sister team.
"Rashid Khan is unavailable currently, as he continues his recovery from injury. The MI CT wish Rashid a quick recovery and look to have him back on the playing field soon," the franchise said in a media statement.
The SA20 league begins on January 10. Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Rassie van der Dussen (South Africa), Sam Curran (England), Jofra Archer (England) and Liam Livingstone (England) are among the seasoned campaigners in the Cape Town fold.
The MI Cape Town will begin their campaign against Durban SuperGiants on January 11.
Interestingly, Pollard's promotion as the captain came on the same day his social media activity stirred up a hornet's nest. "Once the rain is over, an umbrella becomes a burden to everyone. That's how loyalty ends when benefits stop.- ANONYMOUS," read Kieron Pollard's Instagram story from Sunday morning.
Mumbai Indians had stripped veteran Rohit Sharma of captaincy after they bought star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans. A former MI player, Hardik had led the Titans to glory in 2022 and made it to the finals in 2023. Many associated the story with Pollard's displeasure over the new developments.