Kieron Pollard

Captain Warner (85 not out off 58) and Saha (58no off 45) put on 151 for the first wicket as Sunrisers successfully chased down a victory target of 150 in the final game of the regular season at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, moving them above Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore into third.

They consequently eliminated KKR and will now face RCB in an eliminator on Friday, while the Indians already knew they would be going up against Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 on Thursday.

Rohit Sharma (4) was not called up by India for the upcoming tour of Australia but returned to the line-up for the Indians, though he and Quinton de Kock (25) were the victims as Sandeep Sharma (3-34) moved onto 53 wickets from the opening six overs in the IPL – the most by any bowler.

Suryakumar Yadav (36) and Ishan Kishan (33) put on 42 for the third wicket before the former fell to Shahbaz Nadeem (2-19), who dismissed Krunal Pandya in the same over.

Jason Holder (2-25) claimed his 100th Twenty20 wicket when he removed Nathan Coulter-Nile for one with Mumbai 116-7 in the 18th over.

He also accounted for Kieron Pollard after he smashed 41 off 25 balls to push the leaders to a more respectable total, though it was still their lowest when batting first this season.

It proved easy work for Warner and Saha, as their terrific stand got them over the line with 17 balls remaining and kept Sunrisers' campaign going.

POLLARD GOES PLUNDERING

Mumbai rested Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult but failed to make things easy for their bowlers after being put in.

Pollard did his best to make the workload a little less daunting with a late flurry, clearing the ropes four times – including three in succession off Thangarasu Natarajan in the penultimate over – as he moved past the 3,000 runs mark in the IPL.

SUNRISERS DON'T GO DOWN

Warner is the leading run-scorer in the IPL and it is easy to see why when he is in such dominating form.

He sent James Pattinson (0-29) to the ropes three times in succession in the fourth over and brought up his 48th half-century in the competition with his only six of a masterful knock.

A wonderful drive between cover and extra cover for his 10th four got the job done for Sunrisers.

Joining Holder in making themselves unavailable for the tour are vice-captain Roston Chase, T20 captain Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran. Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich will be unavailable because of personal reasons.

The CWI Covid-19 policy allows any player the opportunity to decline selection because of health or safety fears, without the decision affecting their consideration for future selection.

The tour is set for January 10 to February 11.  It was only approved after recommendation by the CWI’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC), who received a detailed report from a pre-tour visit of Bangladesh by CWI Director and Member of the CWI and ICC MAC, Dr Mansingh, and Security Manager, Paul Slowe.

It seems the precautionary measures were not enough to assuage the fears of the majority of the squad.  With 510,080 confirmed coronavirus cases and 7,479 deaths, Bangladesh is one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic.  The country has, however, been hosting cricket tournaments under heavy quarantine restrictions.

The West Indies were one of the first teams to resume playing international cricket when they travelled to England in July.  The team then went to New Zealand for a series earlier this month. 

Barbados last won the title in the 2016/17 season and Holder believes that with a shortened season before them, they need to be ready to win consistently.

“We are really looking forward to the first tournament of the year. It’s great to be back and there is a lot of excitement in our camp. We are focused on winning,” Holder said.

“It will be important to hold our nerve under pressure and execute under pressure. The team that is most consistent always wins, and we have to look at being consistent and win for our country and our fans.”

Meanwhile, Red Force Captain Kieron Pollard believes his team is blessed with a good blend of youth and experience to advance to the finals and eventually win it all.

“I believe we have a very good team in terms of youth and experience and we can go that step further and make it to the finals,” he said.

“In the last few years, we missed out, reaching the semi-finals and being beaten, once by CCC and once by Leewards. Hopefully, we have all the energy and all the gas in the tank and go all the way. This promises to be a really good tournament, and I know players will be aiming to impress and improve their careers.”

Both captains are among several West Indies stars set to participate in this year’s tournament.

In addition to Holder and Pollard, players such as Roston Chase (Barbados Pride), Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana Jaguars), Sheldon Cottrell (Jamaica Scorpions), Hayden Walsh Jr (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Nicholas Pooran (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) and Andre Fletcher (Windward Islands Volcanoes) have signalled their participation in the tournament.

Whilst COVID-19 related constraints mean that 2019-2020 Champions, the West Indies Emerging Players, are unable to defend their title, eight of those talented young winners from the 2019 tournament have found spots in the competing franchise teams, including Keon Harding, Dominic Drakes and Justin Greaves (Barbados Pride), Kevin Sinclair (Guyana Jaguars), Ashmead Nedd (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Jayden Seales (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) as well as, Kimani Melius and Roland Cato (Windward Islands Volcanoes).

Full squads:

Barbados Pride: Jason Holder (Captain), Joshua Bishop, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Jonathan Drakes, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Chemar Holder, Akeem Jordan, Nicholas Kirton, Zachary McCaskie, Ashley Nurse, Tevyn Walcott; Dexter Toppin (Head Coach)

Guyana Jaguars: Leon Johnson (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer (Vice-Captain), Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Asad Fudadin, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Tevin Imlach, Keon Joseph, Ramaal Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Akshaya Persaud, Kemol Savory, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith; Esuan Crandon (Head Coach)

Jamaica Scorpions: Rovman Powell (Captain), Derval Green (Vice-Captain), Fabian Allen, Dennis Bulli, Sheldon Cottrell, Javel Glenn, Brandon King, Andre McCarthy, Jamie Merchant, Romaine Morris, Paul Palmer, Jeavor Royal, Odean Smith, Aldaine Thomas, Oshane Thomas; Andre Coley (Head Coach)

Leeward Islands Hurricanes: Devon Thomas (captain), Montcin Hodge (Vice-Captain), Colin Archibald, Sheno Berridge, Quinton Boatswain, Keacy Carty, Nino Henry, Amir Jangoo, Nitish Kumar, Jeremiah Louis, Ashmead Nedd, Kieran Powell, Ross Powell, Hayden Walsh Jr, Terance Warde; Stuart Williams (Head Coach)

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force: Kieron Pollard (Captain), Darren Bravo (Vice-Captain), Akeal Hosein, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kjorn Ottley, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Anderson Phillip, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Jayden Seales, Lendl Simmons; David Furlonge (Head Coach)

Windward Islands Volcanoes: Sunil Ambris (Captain), Andre Fletcher (Vice-Captain), Alick Athanaze, Roland Cato, Keron Cottoy, Kenneth Dember, Larry Edward, Ryan John, Ray Jordan, Desron Maloney, Obed McCoy, Preston McSween, Kimani Melius, Emmanuel Stewart, Kevin Stoute; Andrew Richardson (Head Coach)

The CPL season was characterized by a spate of low scores, with many fingers pointing towards an unsatisfactory surface for T20 batsman to ply their trade. In fact, the average score per innings score fell around 20 runs from last season’s average of around 151, compared to this season’s average of 122.

Pollard's Knight Riders have hardly been among those struggling to find runs and his blistering 28 balls 72 against the Barbados Tridents, was seemingly made on a different surface than the one others had struggled with.

“For me throughout the tournament, if I were to be a little critical, the pitches weren’t up to standard for batting. But what I have seen as well is the guys have not mentally changed their game to suit the conditions,” Pollard said at a pre-game press conference.

“That is something that is not only harming is in CPL but harming us in international cricket as well.  We can’t complain about the pitches all the time and we are not changing as individuals,” he added.

“I didn’t see the mental fortitude of the batmen throughout the tournament in the other teams. I all honestly wit TKR we have tried to adjust to the situation.”

The West Indies, thanks to a century from Shai Hope at the top of the order, scored 289-7 before going from losing positions to winning positions and back again, as Sri Lanka got to 290-9 with five balls to spare.

According to Pollard, after leaving a few runs with the bat, the West Indies were also not at their very best with the ball and coughed up too many presents for the Sri Lankans.

But Pollard did enjoy the game, saying it was well contested by both teams.

“Good game of cricket came down to the last over with the crowd on its feet,” he said.

“Normally guys like me and Pooran finish it off but it couldn't happen today. Couple of soft dismissals in the middle really set us back,” said Pollard.

“I think we bowled too many bad balls in the start, gave them too many freebies, that's where we lost the game. Our discipline was not there,” he said.

Sri Lanka started well with a 111-run first-wicket partnership between Avishka Fernando (50) and captain Dimuth Karunaratne (52).

The Windies fought back brilliantly but Thisara Perera played an important innings, slamming a 22-ball 32. When Perera was caught off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph, the match was very much in the balance with Sri Lanka on 253-7.

However, Hasaranga (42 off 39) produced a performance that belied his ODI average of 14.37 to get Sri Lanka over the finish line.

Hasaranga's ability to find the rope – he struck a quartet of fours and one maximum – and inaccurate death bowling from the Windies left the scores level going into the final over.

A direct-hit run out from Sunil Ambris to remove Lakshan Sandakan frayed the nerves a little, but the one run Sri Lanka needed came from a Keemo Paul no-ball off the next delivery as if to highlight the way little mistakes had cost the Caribbean side.

Pollard was expected to join Peshawar after West Indies tour of Sri Lanka but the West Indies allrounder's injury means he won't play this year's tournament.

Brathwaite was originally called-up as cover for Pollard till March 6, with that arrangement now being extended for the duration of the tournament.

“I’m sorry I can’t be there in person this year, but the team has some inspirational characters leading the charge and I’m sure can give Daren (Sammy) his first trophy as a head coach,” Pollard said in a statement.

Peshawar, with nine points, is joint leader with Multan Sultans in the six-team event and will play its remaining two league matches against Lahore Qalandars and against Multan next week.

As a result, the West Indies T20 team will be led by Nicholas Pooran while the ODI team will be led by Shai Hope. Pooran led the West Indies to a 4-1 victory T20 series over Australia earlier this year. Hope will be leading the West Indies ODI team for the first time.

 Meantime, the CWI selection panel has named the experienced Devon Thomas as Pollard’s replacement in the One-Day International (ODI) squad while allrounder Rovman Powell will replace the Trinidadian the T20 International (T20I) squad.

Pollard will now undergo rehabilitation work in Trinidad, under the supervision of CWI’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Israel Dowlat, and will be reassessed in a few weeks ahead of the upcoming home tours against Ireland and England in January 2022.

The West Indies are due to play three T20Is and three ODIs at the Karachi National Stadium from December 13 to 22. The start times for the matches are T20Is at 6 pm local time (9 am Eastern Caribbean/8 am Jamaica) and the ODIs at 1 pm local time (4 am Eastern Caribbean/3 am Jamaica).

The ODI Series will be West Indies fourth series of 12 in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League in which the top seven teams can secure automatic qualification for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India. West Indies currently lie in eighth position out of 13 teams and have the opportunity to move above Pakistan into seventh position.

ODI squad: Shai Hope (Captain), Nicholas Pooran (Vice-Captain), Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Justin Greaves, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Devon Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr.

T20I squad: Nicholas Pooran (Captain), Shai Hope (Vice-Captain), Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes, Akeal Hosein, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Oshane Thomas and Hayden Walsh Jr.

Schedule

December 13 – 1st T20I, Karachi

December 14 – 2nd T20I, Karachi

December 16 – 3rd T20I, Karachi

December 18 – 1st ODI, Karachi

December 20 – 2nd ODI, Karachi

December 22 – 3rd ODI, Karachi

The 42-year-old scored an enterprising 67 from 38 balls as the Windies took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20 series.

The half-century would have come as a relief for the under-pressure batsman who had struggled to make an impact since being recalled to the team.  In eight matches, against Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Australia, Gayle has averaged 12.71, with a combined 89 runs, and has a highest score of 31.  In addition, the batsman has a strike rate of 94.68, well below his career average of 139.71.  In fact, the score was the highest for the player since March 2016. 

“It’s good to be among the runs.  Yes, it’s a relief, any batter who hadn’t been among the runs for quite some time now would definitely want to be back among the runs…but it wouldn’t have been possible without my teammates,” Gayle said.

“He told me that he was backing me to go out there and play the cricket that Chris Gayle is accustomed to playing.  So, getting the backing from my teammates, senior guys like Dwayne Bravo as well, Nicholas Pooran. 

“It gave me goosebumps when Pollard was speaking in the dressing room.  Me being a leader and I used to captain Pollard and I tried to help him excel in his career, now’s he’s the captain and for him to stand up and say ‘hey Chris’ and give me a reminder of how good I am.  It’s fantastic.”

On Saturday, England leveled the series on the back of a stroke-filled 64 from the team’s captain Moeen Ali, which bankrolled the team’s first innings score of 193 for 6.

Things had looked far more controlled at the start of the 18^th over, with England on 134 for 3.  Holder, who had put together a tidy spell to that point, was the target of a savage attack from Ali who launched four consecutive sixes and eventually milk 28 off it.  The following over for Romario Shepherd also proved costly as it ended up adding another 18 to England’s tally.  Pollard admitted the expensive final overs were likely where the game turned.  

“That’s the nature of T20 cricket all it takes is six balls or a couple hits to get you away from where you want to be,” Pollard said following the match.

“We were looking at around at around 160, 170, a total that would have been chasable but them getting to 190 put that extra 20 runs out of our reach,” he added.

“I thought right until then, and even when we started to bat, we had a very good chance.  We slowed up in the middle not losing wickets but we were a little slow.”  

Holder, who was among the West Indies best-performing players during the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka, was named alongside Zak Crawley, Mohammed Rizwan, Dominic Sibley and Darren Stevens. Meantime, Holder’s West Indies teammate and white-ball captain Kieron Pollard was named The Leading T20 Cricketer in the World.

Holder said the recognition is the reward for his hard work.

“This award means so much to me. I’m delighted that my efforts to play well and make a contribution have been bearing fruit and I just want to continue and reach higher heights,” he said.

“To be named one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Year is something truly special as over the years I have seen a list of great players who have etched their names in history. The last recipient from West Indies was Shai Hope in 2017 and after seeing his performances it inspired me to be one of the Wisden Cricketers of the future.”

 Meanwhile, CWI President Ricky Skerritt praised the talented all-rounder.

“Congratulations to Jason whose all-round cricket excellence is making all West Indians proud. For such a relatively young and intelligent athlete, he should get even better,” he said.

Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket said Holder was deserving of the recognition.

“On behalf of all of us at Cricket West Indies, I want to congratulate Jason on his being selected as one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year,” Adams said.

“In a period that has thrown up many challenges, he has performed consistently with distinction and dignity both on and off the field and we wish him all the success possible going forward.”

Holder joins a list of distinguished West Indies players who have been named among Wisden's Cricketers of the Year.

See the list below.

West Indies Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Names in brackets indicate the player was chosen for his feats for a county team. All others were picked mainly for their feats at the international level.
2021 – Jason Holder
2018 – Shai Hope
2013 – Marlon Samuels
2008 – Shiv Chanderpaul (Ottis Gibson)
1997 – (Phil Simmons)
1995 – (Brian Lara)
1992 – Curtly Ambrose, Richie Richardson
1991 – (Desmond Haynes)
1989 – Jeff Dujon (Franklyn Stephenson)
1987 – (Courtney Walsh)
1985 – Larry Gomes
1983 – (Alvin Kallicharran, Malcolm Marshall)
1980 – Joel Garner
1979 – (John Shepherd)
1977 – Gordon Greenidge, Michael Holding, Viv Richards
1975 – (Andy Roberts)
1974 – Keith Boyce, Roy Fredericks
1972 – (Lance Gibbs)
1971 – (Clive Lloyd)
1970 – Basil Butcher
1967 – Seymour Nurse
1964 – Charlie Griffith, Conrad Hunte, Rohan Kanhai, Garfield Sobers
1959 – (Roy Marshall)
1958 – OG “Collie” Smith, Clyde Walcott
1951 – Sonny Ramadhin, Alf Valentine, Everton Weekes, Frank Worrell
1940 – Learie Constantine
1934 – George Headley
1915 – (Sydney Gordon Smith)

Pollard, who made the announcement in a statement on Instagram on Tuesday, made the decision after failing to see himself in MI's scheme of things going forward as the franchise enters a transition phase.

The all-rounder added that his loyalty towards the franchise is such that he cannot envision himself representing any other team in the IPL.

With that said, it is not the end of the road for Pollard with the Mumbai Indians as the former West Indies captain has agreed to take over as the team's batting coach.

Only a handful of players in IPL have featured in 100 or more games for a single franchise. Pollard stands second on the list of most appearances for a single club having featured in 189 IPL matches for Mumbai Indians. Virat Kohli sits atop with his record tally for Royal Challengers Bangalore while others on the list feature Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders from 2011), Jasprit Bumrah (Mumbai Indians from 2013) and Lasith Malinga (who had two stints at Mumbai). In those 189 games, he scored 3412 runs, laced with 16 fifties and picked up 69 wickets, becoming one of the most prolific all-rounders the league ever witnessed.

Pollard’s full statement: “It hasn't been the easiest decision to make as I intend to keep playing for a few more years, but following discussions with Mumbai Indians I have decided to call time on my IPL career. I understand that this incredible franchise which has achieved so much needs to transition and if I'm no longer to play for MI then I cannot see myself playing against MI either, 'Once an MI always an MI'.

This is not an emotional goodbye to MI however as I have agreed to take up the role of batting coach in the IPL as well as play with MI Emirates. This next chapter of my career is genuinely exciting and allows me to transition myself too from playing to coaching,

I am immensely proud, honoured and blessed to have represented the biggest and most successful team in the IPL for the past 13 seasons. It was always an aspiration to play for this fantastic team and although I will miss the buzz of the IPL you get as a player, I take comfort in knowing that I have been fortunate enough to have played with some of the best players in the world in front of our passionate fans. I have always felt and appreciated their unconditional support both on and off the field. Together, we won the Champions League in 2011 and 2013 and the IPL in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020,

I must give big thanks to the Coaches, Managers and other backroom support staff we have had at Mumbai Indians and who I now join. We would not have achieved the success over the years without their continuing hard work, dedication and commitment to creating the best environment and I look forward to emulating their successful approach. In particular, I would like to pay special tribute to my good friend Robin Singh for his sound advice and guidance over the years and whose very shoes I now fill.

Most sincerely, I express my deep appreciation to Mukesh, Nita and Akash Ambani for their tremendous love, support and respect I have always felt and for the confidence they placed in me. I recall our first encounter when they welcomed me with open arms saying "We are family". Those were not just mere words, but demonstrated by their every action throughout my time with Mumbai Indians.”

Lastly, I would like to say a special thank you to my friends and family especially my wife, Jenna and my three beautiful children for all the love, support and the many sacrifices they have made over the years and will continue to make to allow me to fulfil my childhood dream of playing cricket at the highest levels for such a long time.

Today, I make this step with hope and excitement towards the future knowing that I will be playing a role in an institution, whose values align so closely to mine, where "We are family"

Pollard becomes part of the England set-up specifically as an assistant coach for the June tournament.

The 36-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago will provide expertise of Caribbean conditions with the competition being co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States.

Former Somerset all-rounder Pollard helped the West Indies win the T20 World Cup in 2012 and has played a record 600-plus matches in the format.

The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup will be held between June 4 and June 30 next year, with the final to be staged at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

England will defend the title they won for the second time in Australia 13 months ago in a tournament expanded from 16 to 20 teams.

Pollard, whose team the Mumbai Indians won the league for a record fifth time, was voted the Super Striker of the Season Award.

The powerful Trinidadian, batting down the order for the 2020 champions, scored 268 runs at an incredible average of incredible average of 53.60 and at a phenomenal strike rate of 191.42. Among those 268 runs were 15 fours and 22 majestic sixes.

The Barbados-born Archer, who now represents England, was the tournament MVP.

He proved to be a valuable member of the Rajasthan Royals for whom he took 20 wickets at an economy rate of 6.55, the best in the league. He produced his best bowling against the Delhi Capitals on October 14 when he returned figures of 3 for 19 from his allotment of four overs.

He was also productive with the bat scoring 113 runs that included a top score of 27. Even more impressive was his strike rate of 179.36, second only to Pollard during the tournament and smashed five fours and 10 massive sixes.

The other major awards went to KL Rahul of the Kings XI Punjab, who won the Orange Cap having scored a league-leading 670 runs. He was also named Game Changer of the Season.

Kagiso Rabada of the first-time finalists Delhi Capitals was awarded the Purple Cap for his 30 wickets during the competition.

Devdutt Padikkal of the Royal Challengers Bangalore was named Emerging Player of the Season.

Ishan Kishan of the Mumbai Indians hit the most sixes, 30, during the season while his teammate Trent Boullt was the Powerplayer of the Season.

Boullt took 25 wickets during the season.

The Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field first and that decision appeared to have backfired when Johnson Charles’ half-century got the Kings off to a lightning start.

Although the Knight Riders pegged the Kings back in the middle overs a devastating 33 off 14 balls from David Wiese ensured the Knight Riders were set a very difficult 148 to win.

 The Knight Riders’ task became even more difficult when they lost three early wickets inside the PowerPlay including that of Nicholas Pooran for a duck. 

 They never really recovered from that and left themselves too much ground to make up in the back end resulting in the narrow defeat.

 The Kings had got off to a flier in the PowerPlay with the tournament’s top scorer Charles hitting another barnstorming fifty. His partnership with Niroshan Dickwella added 59 runs before Ravi Rampaul carried on his good form by removing the latter.

 When Rampaul removed the set Charles it led to a squeeze on the Kings scorecard as 82-3 quickly became 117-5.

 However, David Wiese was able to produce an excellent counter-attacking innings at the death to help the Kings post a challenging 147.

 The Knight Riders' response saw their top order fail again as Leonardo Julien, Colin Munro and Nicholas Pooran all fell inside the powerplay to Roston Chase.

 That left the middle and lower order too much to do and despite a late salvo by Andre Russell in the final over of the game, it was too little too late.

 The two sides swap places in the table following the results and both will now head to Guyana with all to play for in the race for the playoffs. 

Scores: Saint Lucia Kings 147-6 (Charles 54, Wiese 33; Rampaul 2-10, Narine 2-31) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 146-6 (Seifert 44, Pollard 34; Chase 3-17, Joseph 2-26) by 1 run.

MI Cape Town first posted a formidable 207-5 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Super Giants.

Opener Ryan Rickleton hit six fours and six sixes on his way to an excellent top score of 87 from 51 balls while Pollard, who replaced the injured Rashid Khan ad Captain for the tournament, hit a brutal 31 from 14 balls including four fours and a six in the latter part of the innings.

Guyanese all-rounder Keemo Paul took 2-31 from his four overs for the Super Giants.

The chase got off to a less than impressive start as Durban lost Quinton De Kock (5) and Wiaan Milder (5) within the first three overs with 12 runs on the board.

A 40-run third wicket partnership between opener Matthew Breetzke and Paul steadied proceedings a bit before Paul fell off the bowling of English speedster Ollie Stone for 15.

His wicket brought Klaasen to the crease and he put the team on his back with a magnificent 35-ball 85 including four fours and eight massive sixes.

Breetzke ended up making 39 off 24 balls.

The wickets of those two along with Nicholas Pooran for just 11 meant that the Super Giants were 177-6 off 16.3 overs when the rains came and ended play for the day.

Thankfully for the Super Giants, the Duckworth Lewis Stern par score was 166 at the time.

South African ace Kagiso Rabada took 2-23 from three overs for MI Cape Town.

The 35-year-old suffered the issue early in the campaign and underwent surgery on Tuesday morning, ruling him out for between four and six weeks.

Pollard scored 99 runs and took a single wicket in six matches for Surrey, who started the campaign with eight wins and a no result from their first nine games to go top of the South Group.

"This is hugely frustrating as we have been a dominant force and I felt I was part of something special," said Pollard in an interview on Tuesday.

“I wish the lads all the best for the rest of the campaign whilst I get myself fit and firing again," he added.

Pollard retired from international cricket in April of this year after representing the West Indies in 123 One-Day Internationals and 101 T20 Internationals, since his international debut against South Africa in 2007.

Pollard also holds the current record for most T20 matches played with 598, 60 ahead of former West Indies teammate Dwayne Bravo and 126 ahead of former Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik.

 Jamaica Tallawahs won the toss and chose to field first, producing a disciplined bowling performance to restrict Trinbago Knight Riders to 142-8 after 20 overs. Kelvin Pitman, making his CPL debut, had an outstanding game as he took three wickets, including that of the opposing captain, Kieron Pollard.

The Tallawahs would have a bright start to their chase but would lose four wickets in the first 10 overs to find themselves in trouble. Waqar Salamkheil and Andre Russell, would prove decisive, taking five wickets between them and restricting runs as the Tallawahs faltered to 140-7, losing by just 2 runs.

The Jamaican franchise got off to an ideal start to the game with experienced seamer Mohammad Amir delivering an opening maiden over.

Openers Martin Guptil and Mark Deyal would however bat through the Powerplay and build a solid foundation to the Knight Riders innings with a 58-run partnership. The complexion of the tie would then completely change as the Knight Riders lost three wickets, including that of Nicholas Pooran, for just five runs. Kelvin Pitman, on debut for the Tallawahs, took two of those wickets within the same over in a brilliant display. The Knight Riders attempts to accelerate the scoring were derailed as they would lose five wickets in the last five overs to finish on 142-8.

Jamaica Tallawahs opened their chase with captain Brandon King and Alex Hales, the duo also batting through the powerplay as they put on a 57-run partnership.

Brandon King lost his wicket to the leg spin of Salamkheil; Jermaine Blackwood was also dismissed four balls later to a super Nicholas Pooran catch, and when Shamarh Brooks departed the very next ball, the Tallawahs looked in trouble at 58-3. More wickets would tumble and despite a late flurry of runs from Chris Green and Imad Wasim, they would ultimately lose by two runs in a nail-biting finish.

 Trinbago Knight Riders will look to continue their winning form as they play their next four games in front of a home crowd.
Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 142-8 (Pollard 33, Tucker 30, Deyal 30; Amir 3-20, Pitman 3-27) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 140-7 (King 36, Green 32; Russell 3-34, Salamkheil 2-21) by two runs

In Tuesday’s semi-final, the unbeaten Tridents continued their sensational run after brushing aside the Jamaica Tallawahs in a nine-wicket win.  The victory marked a 10^th in a row for the Tridents and just one more will see the team create history by being the first to claim the trophy without losing a match.

The Knights Riders would, however, do well to learn from history’s lessons.  Just one season ago the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who have never lifted the title, experienced unthinkable heartbreak after losing to the Barbados Tridents in the final.  Pollard will be eager to avoid a similar fate and on home soil no less.

“We have come here and played fantastic cricket throughout the tournament so we need to have that cherry on top of it,” Pollard said following the match.

“I know the guys.  I watch the faces of the guys in the dressing room, I don’t see overconfidence.  You are seeing guys looking level, wanting to come out, and wanting to perform each and every time.  We have that hunger for one more time, hopefully we can go all the way.  If we do that it will be unprecedented.”

Royal Challengers posted an imposing 201-3 after being put in at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday courtesy of half-centuries from Devdutt Padikkal (54), Aaron Finch (52) and AB de Villiers (55).

The brilliant Washington Sundar (1-12) struck a huge blow by dismissing Rohit Sharma in the second over of the run chase and Mumbai looked beaten at 78-4 in the 12th over.

However, Kishan and Pollard astonishing forcedly a tie after putting on 119 for the fifth wicket off just 8.3 overs, the former making 99 off 58 balls – including nine sixes – before he was out off the penultimate delivery.

Pollard (60 not out from 23) brought the scores level with a four off the last ball – making it the highest tied score in an IPL contest – when the Indians were five down, but RCB were not to be denied victory.

Indians duo Pollard and Hardik Pandya could only take seven from Navdeep Saini's Super Over and Jasprit Bumrah was unable to keep it so tight, boundaries from the in-form De Villiers and Kohli giving RCB a second win out of three.

KOHLI FAILS AGAIN AS REST OF RCB TOP ORDER CASH IN

Despite hitting the winning runs, Kohli looked out of sorts again as he made just three from 11 balls before the tie-breaker, Rahul Chahar getting the India captain caught at short cover.

Padikkal and Finch had put on 81 for the first wicket in nine overs and De Villiers cashed in on a great track with some magnificent clean striking, hitting four sixes and as many fours.

Shivam Dube got in on the act with an unbeaten 27 off just 10 balls, clearing the ropes three times, as RCB reached 200 for the 17th time when batting first – six more times than any other team.

KISHAN AND POLLARD PRODUCE STUNNING BLITZ

It looked to be game over when Pandya fell to Adam Zampa in the 12th over of the run chase, leaving Mumbai four down and with a mountain to climb.

Sundar – who did not concede a boundary from his four overs – saw the back of Rohit before debutant Isuru Udana struck twice, with substitute fielder Pawan Negi taking three catches.

Kishan and Pollard had other ideas, with the West Indies all-rounder hitting the last ball of the 20th over for four after Kishan had struck Udana for back-to-back sixes before being caught in the deep on 99.

KOHLI HAS THE LAST LAUGH

It has been a poor start for Kohli, but he had the last laugh by whipping his India team-mate Bumrah for four when needing just one to win off the last ball.

De Villiers, on the other hand, is in great nick and also found the rope off the fourth ball from Bumrah after Saini halted Mumbai's momentum.

Delhi won the toss and put the Gladiators to bat and they were in immediate trouble at 34 for 3 after three overs. However, Pollard came to the rescue smashing 47 from just 18 balls. The Gladiators captain smashed four fours and four sixes that propelled his side to 118 for 7 even as wickets fell at the other end.

Fidel Edwards returned figures of 1 for 34 from his two overs. Dwayne Bravo was slightly more expensive with 1 for 34 from his two. However, the chief destroyers were Ali Khan who took 2 for 4 including Pollard’s wicket and Amad Butt, who returned 2 for 20 from the 10 balls he bowled.

Chasing 119 proved to be child’s play for the Bulls.

Lewis, who smashed 55 from 16 balls against the Maratha Arabians on Saturday, picked up from where he left off, racing to 35 from just 14 balls in a first-wicket stand of 90 with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who bludgeoned the bowling for 47 runs from 20 balls.

Imran Tahir took the wickets of both openers within nine balls as Delhi slumped to 98 for 2, two balls into the seventh over. However, Rutherford ensured there would be no further stumbles smashing two fours and two sixes in his 13-ball knock that sealed victory for Delhi with 11 balls to spare.