Kieron Pollard has officially taken over as the head coach of Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2027 season. His appointment follows the departure of Mahela Jayawardene.
Moving into the lead role after four seasons as the franchise's batting coach, Pollard openly addressed the slump that has plagued the five-time champions, who haven't won a title since 2020 and finished near the bottom of the table in the 2026 season.
Pollard outlined a clear philosophy to steer the team back to its winning roots. He stated that acknowledging exactly where they have fallen short is the necessary first step toward fixing the underlying issues.
"We have not been as great as you (fans) want us to be and the first step to getting better is acknowledging, and we acknowledge that you are still the most loyal fans to us, the Paltan, and hopefully, we can continue to show that passion that you have seen over the years, and we can relive some of those memories with some of the new generation cricketers," Pollard said in a video shared by MI on their social media accounts.
Pollard has a 16-year association with MI, having originally joined the team as a 22-year-old player in 2010 and winning five IPL titles with them.
One of his primary goals is to restore a fierce home advantage. The former West Indies all-rounder remarked that he does not want to see rival team colours, such as yellows or reds, dominating the stands at the Wankhede Stadium. He intends to rebuild a strong team identity so that players deeply understand the passion and spirit required to wear the blue and gold jersey.
"When you walk into the Wankhede Stadium, you are not seeing the yellows and the reds and stuff like that. You want to see that blue flag flying, and you want to see that passion and spirit from the fans. And that can only come firstly from us," the newly appointed MI head coach stated.
"So that's where our work sort of starts in terms of understanding what we are playing for and who we are playing for. We recognize the fact that we have not been where we wanted to be in the last couple of years. So there's no hiding, sort of from that. But what's going to happen is that we're going to try our best now to ensure that we continue to play for that badge, put the team above self, and then ensure that when the opposition comes, it's something that they remembered from the past. Yes, it's history, but sometimes in order to go forward, you have to go back a little bit and understand. And I think that's where it's going to start," he further remarked.
As MI head coach, Pollard’s immediate challenge will be to spearhead the tactical planning for the upcoming IPL 2027 mega auction, which is scheduled to take place in Goa on December 16.
