Big-hitting Kieron Pollard may have retired as an active cricketer for West Indies, but the former Mumbai Indians all-rounder showed he's still got it by playing yet another blinder of an innings in a CPL match on Wednesday. Captaining the Trinbago Knight Riders, Pollard scored a fiery 19-ball fifty to guide his team home in chase of 188. When all chips seemed to be down, Pollard unleashed carnage, a throwback to his time at MI, scoring an unbeaten 52 to knock off 27 off 12, with five balls left to be bowled.

Pollard had raced to 28 off 13 as the game was well and truly alive before Matthew Forde was handed the ball to bowl the 19th and penultimate over of the match. Pollard, switching into beast mode almost instantaneously, smoked his fellow Caribbean medium-pacer for four towering sixes. Forde began with two dots in the first three balls, the second being launched for six. But a hat-trick of sixes to finish the over, all but laid the game to rest. With just three needed to win, Alzarri Joseph cut Akeal Hossain for a boundary and secured the win. This was Pollard's first half-century in the CPL since 2021.

Pollard's assault reminded fans, especially those of Mumbai Indians, the kind of incredible things he had done for the franchise during his time as a player from 2010 to 2022. Pollard scored 3412 runs from 189 matches for MI, hitting 16 half-centuries along the way. Some of his most breathtaking knocks include 64 off 33 balls against Rajasthan Royals in 2012, 83 off 31 balls against Punjab Kings in 2019, 66 off 27 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013. However, Pollard's most unforgettable heroics remain the 60 off 24 balls he scored against Royal Challengers in IPL 2020, during which MI chased down 90 in five overs.

Watch Pollard's blitzkrieg below:

Fans want Pollard back

With the current MI squad failing to exude the same dominance, fans couldn't help but wonder what could have been had Pollard still been playing for the five-time champions. Some even demanded he steps out of retirement and turn MI's fortunes around. Here are some reactions from fans.

This isn't the first time fans have wanted Pollard to end his retirement. Last month, Pollard inflicted a similar damage on Trent Rockets' Rashid Khan, belting him for five consecutive sixes to take Southern Brave home in The Hundred. He had received a similar wave of encouragement back then as well, with folks on Twitter couldn't believe how MI would let Pollard go.

"For someone who has played for the WI and for St. Lucia for a period of time, wanted to give something to the crowd. We got off to a great start, young Shaq (Parris) came in and showed his talent. He set the tempo. We lost some wickets in the middle but that's why it's a team sport and we came in and played our part later. If it’s my role to finish games, that's what I'll do. Now that I've played a lot of cricket around the world, it's my opportunity to give opportunities and play around others till I call it quits," Pollard said after the match.

Pollard announced his retirement from Mumbai Indians in November of 2022 before taking over as the franchise's batting coach.

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