Widely regarded as one of the greatest T20 cricketers, Kieron Pollard on Monday (January 8) revealed the reason behind him joining SA20 - South Africa's premier T20 tournament.

Speaking at the captain's meet, Pollard, who was recently named the skipper of MI Cape Town side, said he received a Ben Stokes-like text from coach Robin Peterson ahead of the competition.

MI Cape Town were looking for a leader after Rashid Khan pulled out of the tournament due to back surgery. It was then coach Peterson approached Pollard, who he had worked with in MI New York during the Major League Cricket last year.

Pollard disclosed that Peterson sent a short message to him that read “comeback to South Africa”, which persuaded him to participate in the SA20 league.

For the unversed, England Test skipper Ben Stokes had sent a short text to retired spinner Moeen Ali right before the Ashes 2023 that convinced the all-rounder to play in the iconic series against Australia.

"Yeah, to be honest, he did. He did and I had the privilege of working with him MLC in America. He was like ‘come back to South Africa’. And here I am sitting in front of you guys and looking forward to a tournament that everyone has highly spoken about. It looked pretty exciting on television. So, looking forward to having a good season," Pollard said.

"I have played a lot of cricket with Robin. He is pretty cool in terms of how he goes around. He believes in individuality rather than big groups. He has casual chats and believes in them and they tend to get more out of individuals. It has worked for us in America. He has been around the MI set-up for a period as well. His knowledge of the local South African players is high as well," he added.

Pollard is excited to be part of SA20 and said that he had loved the first season of the tournament while watching it on TV.

"Thank you for having me back after a couple of years. Firstly, I had a choice, and then it became a no-choice in the end when I got the call to come and captain the side, Mi Cape Town. But then again, I have been here before, I hve been in this city. It’s nothing different. I am looking to make a difference from the team’s perspective. I am not nervous at all. I am in the twilight of my career, I want to enjoy, and passing on my experience to the youngsters and sit back and watch them take the world by storm," Pollard said about the tournament.

MI Cape Town will open their campaign against Durban's Super Giants on Thursday (January 11).