Former West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has penned down a heartfelt note for his compatriot Kieron Pollard after the Mumbai Indians' star announced his retirement from IPL.
The five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Tuesday released Pollard, their most senior player, to end a 13-year playing career that began in 2010 when they signed the West Indies player for an undisclosed sum via a tie-breaker that broke the deadlock between four teams.
While Pollard called his time as a player in the IPL, his relationship with Mumbai is not ending: he has joined them as a batting coach and will play for MI Emirates, owned by the same group, in the ILT20 in the UAE.
Bravo, who played a role in bringing Pollard to MI 13 years ago in 2010 when he left the franchise and put in a good word for his friend, said how proud he was of the all-rounder's achievements and wished him luck for his new role as the franchise's batting coach.
"To my best friend, my teammate, opponent. 13 years ago, I had a very small part to play in introducing you to arguably one the most successful IPL teams @mumbaiindians. I saw you grow from a little boy from Maloney and then go to India to dominate the toughest T20 league. You became a household name around the world," Bravo wrote on Instagram along with his picture with Pollard.
"Lord, I salute you on a fantastic career wish you all the best in your next chapter as it's a sad day for you and your fans but we also celebrate what you have achieved. I feel proud as your friend and to write this message @kieron.pollard55 #LORD #LEGEND #BIGLIP from the champion," he added.
Pollard, along with Virat Kohli, belongs to one of the rare categories of players who have played all his IPL career -- at least 100 matches -- for one franchise. Pollard was retained by MI last year for ?6 crore, but after a below-par season earlier this year which saw him score just 144 runs, the plug was pulled.
In reply, the all-rounder thanked his friend Bravo for his kind words.
"@djbravo47 thanks for the kind words you have definitely been instrumental in this journey From your recommendation to our battles. Thank you, my friend. #elclassico #sirchampion600 #thankyou," he wrote.
Pollard and Bravo are two of the biggest stars of cricket's shortest format from West Indies. Both have represented a lot of teams in T20 leagues all over the world.
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