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"
The Capitals were top of the IPL just a couple of weeks ago but have since capitulated and could yet slip out of the top four, with Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders hoping to capitalise and secure a spot in the next phase.
On Saturday the Capitals came undone in the face of another dominant bowling display by Mumbai, with Trent Boult (3-21) and Jasprit Bumrah (3-17) particularly impressive as Delhi were limited to just 110-9.
Shikhar Dhawan was the first to fall for the Capitals with Boult claiming his scalp from just the third delivery of the innings, meaning the opener has failed to reach double figures in three consecutive matches.
Prithvi Shaw (10) soon trudged off too, while Shreyas Iyer, top-scorer with 25, Marcus Stoinis (two) and Rishabh Pant (21) were sent packing in a nine-ball spell, and any hope of a late flurry was snuffed out as no one else managed more than 12 runs.
With such a small target, Mumbai's careful and conservative start to the chase looked smart.
De Kock eventually went for 26 in the 11th over, Anrich Nortje doing the damage, but it was hardly the beginning of a resurgence as Ishan Kishan (72 not out) continued to plug away, reaching 50 at the start of the 12th.
Nortje and Kagiso Rabada (27-0) – the latter wicketless for a second match on the bounce – had no answer to the 22-year-old, who took Mumbai over the line with an emphatic six to reach 111-1, wrapping up a one-sided victory.
KISHAN THE STAR
In the past week or so, Kishan seems to have begun to settle, with scores of 68 not out, 37, 25 and now 72no. His effort on Saturday was better than any of his past eight, and he recorded it against the experienced Nortje and Rabada.
With Kishan named man of the match, captain Kieron Pollard praised him afterwards, saying: "Each and every game Ishan is getting better and better. Long may it continue. He's been able to adapt to different scenarios. He didn't even start at the beginning, then he went number four. He's adapting."
ANOTHER DIFFICULT DAY FOR RABADA
Against Sunrisers Hyderabad last time out, Rabada's numbers of 0-54 were alarming, particularly given he had not gone wicketless in 25 IPL matches.
He is now without a wicket in successive matches as he failed to find a way past Kishan – though in the grand scheme of the match, it would have taken something remarkable from the Capitals' bowlers to make up for the poor first innings.
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.
Having fallen just short of the IPL final last year, RCB got their 2023 campaign off to a terrific start, dominating their opponents on both sides of the ball at The Mangalam Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB made a fast start with the ball, with Harshal Patel well-placed to claim an outside edge from Ishan Kishan (10) before Reece Topley bowled Cameron Green (5), though a bizarre collision between Dinesh Karthik and Mohammed Siraj saw the latter inexplicably drop Rohit Sharma.
Rohit was less fortunate when he handed Karthik a catch for just one run three balls later, though his exit allowed Tilak Varma to step up with a quickfire 84 off 46 balls, carrying Mumbai to 171-7.
That outstanding effort proved to be in vain, however, with Du Plessis (73) and Kohli (82 not out) putting on a strong opening stand of 148, both bringing up half-centuries by the end of the 12th over.
While skipper Du Plessis walked with five overs remaining, lofting through to Tim David for a simple catch, Mumbai never looked likely to break the momentum of RCB, who recorded a statement win.
Varma wastes no time
In dragging Mumbai to a respectable tally with his knock of 84, Varma averaged a boundary every 3.5 deliveries.
Only Jos Buttler – who struck a boundary every 2.2 balls in the Rajasthan Royals' win over Sunrisers Hyderabad – has posted a better such rate in the early stages of the IPL this season, with Varma hitting nine fours and four sixes from the 46 balls he faced.
Unfortunately for the 20-year-old, RCB's top-order batsmen were in similar form as Mumbai failed to build any momentum with the ball.
Fifty up for Kohli
RCB never looked likely to fall short in their chase of 172, with Kohli taking centre-stage to bring up a personal IPL landmark.
With his knock of 82 runs from 49 balls, Kohli recorded his 50th score of 50 runs or more in the IPL. Only David Warner (60) has more half-centuries in the competition's history.
A first IPL half-century for Anuj Rawat, who was run out for 66, helped RCB make light work of chasing Mumbai's 151-6 in Pune. Mumbai had been 79-6 but Suryakumar Yadav clubbed 68 from 37 balls to make it a contest.
Virat Kohli was unhappy to be given out lbw for 48 in the closing moments of the match, but his disappointment was nothing like the dismay the Indians will be feeling as they await a first win of the campaign.
Glenn Maxwell finished the match with successive fours as victory was secured with nine balls to spare, RCB reaching 152-3.
Mumbai began brightly enough as Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma put on 50 for the first wicket. But once Rohit fell for 26, caught and bowled by Harshal Patel, a hapless collapse followed. Dewald Brevis made eight, but he went with the score on 60, and it was soon 62-5 as Kishan (26), Tilak Varma (0) and Kieron Pollard (0) headed back to the dressing room.
When Ramandeep Singh was caught behind off Harshal by Dinesh Karthik, Mumbai were 79-6 and looking like being humiliated, but the in-form Yadav had other ideas. He set about carrying the team into three figures before cutting loose late on, taking three sixes off Mohammed Siraj in the 19th over before smashing Harshal for another maximum from the final ball of the innings.
Yadav took the catch that broke up the RCB opening pairing, as he showed safe hands at long-on to remove Faf du Plessis for 16 and give Jaydev Unadkat an early wicket. As with Mumbai, that first wicket fell with the score on 50, but RCB did not crumble as the Indians did.
Rawat impressed, while Kohli was dropped just inside the deep square leg boundary by Brevis off Basil Thampi at the start of the 15th over, the ball squirting away for four.
It was rather academic by then, and although Rawat fell to a smart piece of fielding by Ramandeep, and Kohli was unimpressed at being given out, RCB were soon home and hosed.
Three in a row for RCB, on two counts
RCB have now won three successive IPL games against Mumbai for the first time in their history. They have also won three in a row this season after an opening defeat to Punjab Kings, nudging them up to third in the table.
Yadav needs support
Yadav cracked a team-high 52 from 36 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday and finished on the losing side. He again showed great quality in the middle order by bludgeoning six sixes in his backs-against-the-wall assault, making it tough on him to finish on the losing side. Others now need to step up when Mumbai face Punjab Kings on Wednesday.
RCB made 155 all out off 18.4 overs after winning the toss and batting first. Wicket-Keeper Richa Ghosh scored 28 while captain Smriti Mandhana and Shreyanka Patil made 23, each for the Royal Challengers.
Matthews led the way with the ball for Mumbai with 3-28 from her four overs while Saika Ishaque and Amelia Kerr took two wickets, respectively.
The Indians, who made 207-5 in their first game against the Gujarat Giants, continued their excellent form with the bat by needing only 14.2 overs to reach 159-1 for their second straight win.
Matthews rounded out an exceptional all-round display with a top-score of 77 not out off 38 balls including 13 fours and a six. Sciver-Brunt provided excellent support with a 29-ball 55 invluding nine fours and a six.
Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 155 off 18.4 overs (Richa Ghosh 28, Smriti Mandhana 23, Shreyanka Patil 23, Hayley Matthews 3-28, Saika Ishaque 2-26, Amelia Kerr 2-30)
Mumbai Indians 159-1 off 14.2 overs (Hayley Matthews 77*, Nat Sciver-Brunt 55*, Yastika Bhatia 23).
The Capitals, who advanced to the final after finishing top-of-the-table in the league phase, made 131-9 off their 20 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Captain Meg Lanning led the way with 35 while Shikha Pandey and Radha Yadav each made 27*.
Hayley Matthews was magnificent with the ball for Mumbai, picking up three wickets in her four overs while conceding only five runs. Issy Wong also continued her wicket-taking form with 3-42 from her spell.
The successful Mumbai chase took 19.3 overs and was anchored by Nat Sciver-Brunt, who finished not out on 60 off 55 balls including seven fours. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur made a 39-ball 37 in support as the Indians reached 134-3.
Sciver-Brunt was named player of the match while Matthews, who ended the season with 271 runs and 16 wickets, was named player of the tournament.
Her run total placed her fifth overall behind Lanning (345), Sciver-Brunt (332), Talia McGrath (302) and Kaur (281) while her 16 wickets were joint-most alongside Sophie Ecclestone.
The Capitals were restricted to 105 all out off 18 overs after winning the toss and batting first.
Captain Meg Lanning led the way with 43 while Jemimah Rodrigues made 25 as English pacer Issy Wong took 3-10 from her four overs.
Left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque bowled three overs for her 3-13 while Matthews took her second consecutive three-wicket haul with 3-19 from her four overs.
With the bat, Mumbai needed just 15 overs to reach 109-2 and secure their third straight dominant win.
Yastika Bhatia top-scored with a 32-ball 41 including eight fours while Matthews made 32 off 31 balls including six fours.
Scores: Delhi Capitals 105 off 18 overs (Meg Lanning 43, Jemimah Rodrigues 25, Issy Wong 3-10, Saika Ishaque 3-13, Hayley Matthews 3-19) Mumbai Indians 109-2 off 15 overs (Yastika Bhatia 41, Hayley Matthews 32, Nat Sciver-Brunt 23*).
The WPL is the Women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and will run between March 4 and March 26.
The first edition will feature five teams: Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and UP Warriorz.
Matthews, currently representing the regional side at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa where she made 44 in their opener against England, was sold to the Mumbai Indians for US$49,000.
Dottin, who retired from international cricket in 2022 after representing the West Indies 143 ODIs and 127 T20Is since her international debut in 2008, went to the Gujarat Giants for US$73,000.
Opener Smriti Mandhana was the most expensive Indian player, going to the Royal Challengers Bangalore for US$415,000.
England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt and Australia’s Ash Gardner both went for US$390,000 to the Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants, respectively, to share the tag of most expensive overseas player.
Leg-spinner Afy Fletcher and pacer Shamilia Connell were the West Indians among the list of unsold players.J
Propelled by Matthews’ 47-ball knock including nine fours and a six, Mumbai posted 161-6 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Warriorz.
The Bajan received good support from Yastika Bhatia with 26 and Amelia Kerr with 23.
The Warriorz then needed only 16.3 overs to reach 163-3 and get their first win of the season.
Openers Alyssa Healy and Kiran Navgire all but killed any chance of a Mumbai victory with a rapid opening partnership of 94 in just 9.1 overs.
Navgire led the charge with a top score of 57 off 31 balls including six fours and four sixes. Healy was more measured in her approach, making a 29-ball 33 including five fours.
The finishing touches were put on by Grace Harris and Deepti Sharma who made 38* and 27*, respectively.
Harris’ innings came off just 17 deliveries and included six fours and a six while Sharma’s knock came off 20 balls and included four fours.
Pacer Issy Wong took 2-30 off three overs for the Indians.
RCB's captain Virat Kohil, who is set to stand down at the end of the season, laid the foundations with 51 before Srikar Bharat (32) and Maxwell (56) led their side to 165 from their 20 overs.
It could have been far more, however, if it was not for death-bowling pair Jasprit Bumrah (3-36) and Trent Boult (1-17), who combined well to limit Kohli's side to what seemed like a par score before Bangalore's bowlers fought back excellently.
Rohit Sharma (43) and Quinton de Kock (24) looked to have continued the momentum by putting on 56 inside the powerplay, but the latter fell to Yuzendra Chahal (3-11) before the India opener was removed by Maxwell.
Ishan Kishan and Krunal Pandya quickly followed to the same spinning pair, leaving Mumbai 93-4 with seven overs to go.
Patel inflicted further misery as he ran through the middle and lower-order batters, removing Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Rahul Chahar to secure a memorable hat-trick as Mumbai were bowled out for just 111 with 11 balls remaining.
Brilliant Bumrah and Boult
Bumrah removed two of Bangalore's dangermen in Maxwell and AB de Villiers in the space of two balls to kick-start a miserly death-bowling spell, which ultimately proved in vain.
The India quick would eventually finish with an economy of nine as he managed dot balls with a third of his deliveries, while Boult produced four more dots and finished impressively with an economy of just over four.
King Kohli's captaincy decisions pay off
Kohli seemed to get every decision right. Mohammed Siraj ran straight to Kohli following his dismissal of Suryakumar Yadav, suggesting a plan between the pair had come off before another bowling change paid off as well.
Dan Christian, despite his first over going for 15, was brought back by Kohli and his following set of six went for just a run a ball as every decision Kohli made seemed to turn to gold, with RCB limiting Mumbai throughout the middle overs to coast to a comfortable win.
Morris was eventually signed by Rajasthan Royals - who he played for in 2015 - following a bidding war that saw four teams battling it out to secure the services of the South African all-rounder.
His final price finished up at 16.25crore, which equates to around £1.6million, putting him ahead of Yuvraj Singh (16cr) on the list of biggest auction purchases in the global Twenty20 tournament.
"I'm super-stoked, super-humbled to be joining Rajasthan again," Morris said in a video message posted by his new team on Twitter.
"I had an unbelievably good time, and a good season, one of the better times in my cricket career, with Rajasthan in 2015, so I'm unbelievably happy, unbelievably excited.
"We have a very good squad, so joining up with Rajasthan is a very cool experience."
Royal Challengers Bangalore were big spenders in their bid to secure a maiden title this year, getting New Zealand paceman Kyle Jamieson for 14.25cr (£1.5m) having already signed Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell (14cr - £1.4m) for a fraction less than that earlier in proceedings.
Jhye Richardson also collected a huge deal, snapped up for the same price as compatriot Maxwell by Punjab Kings, who added another Australian paceman to their roster in Riley Meredith, who has yet to play international cricket in any format.
Having been released by Rajasthan Royals at the start of this year, Steve Smith is now a member of the Delhi Capitals, along with India fast bowler Umesh Yadav and Englishman Sam Billings.
Moeen Ali saw a considerable rise from his base price, the England all-rounder eventually going for a final sum of £700,000 to Chennai Super Kings.
While a premium was paid for pace bowling during the auction, the market was a little less frantic for batsmen.
Dawid Malan – who sits top of the International Cricket Council's batting rankings in the shortest format – will play for Punjab Kings, but English openers Alex Hales and Jason Roy both went unsold.
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is heading back to the Kolkata Knight Riders for 3.2crore (£315,000), while Krishnappa Gowtham went for 9.25crore (£900,000) to the Super Kings, making him the most expensive uncapped India player ever.
As for Mumbai Indians, the main additions by the two-time defending champions came to their bowling attack as they added Adam Milne, Nathan Coulter-Nile and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla.
The 14th edition of the IPL is scheduled to begin during April and run into May. Last year's delayed tournament was staged in the United Arab Emirates due to the coronavirus pandemic.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Mumbai made just 137-9 after a mid-innings slump saw them surrender five wickets for 17 runs, with Amit Mishra returning figures of 4-24.
It meant only a modest run chase, and Delhi avoided panic as they clinched a six-wicket win in the final over, with a boundary from Shimron Hetmyer followed by a no-ball by Kieron Pollard.
Both sides came into this match with two wins from three matches in the 2021 IPL so far, with Mumbai defending their title.
But this was not Mumbai's day. They slumped from a promising 67-1 to a brittle 84-6, with that collapse seeing Suryakumar Yadav (24) edge Avesh Khan to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps before Rohit Sharma (44) and Hardik Pandya (0) holed out to Steve Smith in the deep to give Mishra two wickets in three balls.
Krunal Pandya (1) tied himself in knots and chopped on as Lalit Yadav got in on the wicket-taking act, before Mishra had Pollard pinned lbw.
Ishan Kishan made 26 before becoming Mishra's fourth victim, and Jayant Yadav added 23, but that five-wicket burst meant it was damage limitation in the closing overs for Mumbai, who at least managed to bat out their overs.
Prithvi Shaw was then snagged, caught and bowled by Jayant Yadav, in the second over of Delhi's reply, bringing Steve Smith to the crease.
The former Australia captain made 33, and he and Shikhar Dhawan (45) provided a sturdy platform that Delhi did not waste, keeping Trent Boult (0-23) wicketless, with Pollard's no-ball handing over the win.
Masterful Mishra
Mishra sits second on the all-time list of wicket-takers in the IPL, and he was certainly close to his wily best here as the 38-year-old teased out Rohit and Hardik with a game-changing rapid double strike. Both fell into his trap, looking to hit over long-on when the delivery was just too smart.
Smith, Shikhar lay the foundations
This looked made for Smith, with no need for the Australian maestro to rush things when he arrived in the second over of the Capitals' innings. He could afford to be watchful but was cut off in his prime, while Shikhar also looked well set before falling. These games rarely follow the expected plot, which underlines their appeal.
Having suffered defeat in each of their opening two matches, Mumbai were set 173 to win after they bowled out the Capitals with two balls to spare.
Robbing Delhi of those final two deliveries proved pivotal as Mumbai edged to a six-wicket win, David hitting the winning runs despite some excellent death bowling from Anrich Nortje.
Half-centuries from captain David Warner (51) and Axar Patel (54) had helped Delhi to 172, Warner and Patel combining for a key stand of 67.
But an incredible 19th over in which Jason Behrendorff removed both and, after Kuldeep Yadav was run out, Abishek Porel, prevented Delhi from posting a more imposing total, their innings ended slightly prematurely when Nortje was dismissed.
Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma (65) led what for long periods looked to be a serene chase as they reached 139-1, only for a flurry of wickets to fray the nerves.
Tilak Varma (41) and Suryakumar Yadav (0) went in successive deliveries and Rohit fell to a stunning catch from Porel off a wide yorker from Mustafizur Rahman five balls later.
David (13 not out) and Cameron Green (17 not out) initially struggled to get going but both hit sixes in the penultimate over to leave Mumbai needing five off the last.
Nortje almost miraculously rescued the situation for Delhi by continually nailing his yorker. However, needing two off from the final ball, David punched to long-off and clinched victory with a desperate dive to the crease as Warner's throw to the striker's end proved too high.
Rohit confounds Capitals again
With his half-century in this one, Rohit scored his sixth fifty-plus score against Delhi in the IPL. Only Virat Kohli (8) and Ajinkya Rahane (7) have registered more such scores against the Capitals.
Dreadful start for Delhi
While Mumbai got off the mark, Delhi have now lost each of their first four matches to start the campaign. Only in 2013 (six games) have they endured a longer losing run to begin a season.
It was the most one-sided of contests at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, where CSK could only post 114-9 on Friday.
That marked something of a recovery for the bottom side, who were reeling on 3-4 after Boult (4-18) and Jasprit Bumrah (2-25) took two wickets apiece in devastating opening bursts.
They were rocking on 43-7 before Sam Curran spared them complete humiliation with 52 from 47 balls.
Rahul Chahar also capitalised on the sorry Super Kings' batting frailties by taking 2-22 and the Indians openers made light work of moving them back to the summit.
Kishan made 68 from a mere 37 deliveries and the in-form Quinton de Kock finished unbeaten on 46 as the defending champions sealed a thumping win with as many as 7.4 overs to spare.
Victory moves Mumbai level on points with Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
BOULT AND BUMRAH WREAK HAVOC IN PITIFUL POWERPLAY
CSK were floored by Boult and Bumrah as they lost five wickets in the powerplay for the first time ever.
The brilliant Boult trapped Ruturaj Gaikwad leg before in the first over and had Faf du Plessis caught behind by De Kock after Bumrah struck twice in as many balls, seeing the back of Ambati Rayudu and Narayan Jagadeesan.
Curran offered some much-needed resistance without notable support before he was bowled off the last ball of the innings from Boult, who also dismissed Ravindra Jadeja.
New Zealand seamer Boult is third in the list of leading wicket-takers in the 2020 IPL with 16, one less than Bumrah.
SEALED WITH A KISH
It takes a special innings to upstage South Africa white-ball captain De Kock and Kishan produced one.
The 22-year-old struck five sixes in another demonstration of his immense talent, reaching his half-century by disdainfully reverse-sweeping Jadea over the rope.
Gaikwad gave Kishan a life when he put him down, summing up CSK's day, and De Kock - who had made three consecutive half-centuries - struck a couple of sixes as Mumbai coasted to victory.
The Indians retained their title in Dubai last year with a victory over Delhi Capitals, taking their record tally of IPL triumphs to a five.
Rohit Sharma's side will be the team to beat in a competition that will be played in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, having been staged overseas in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore look the most likely sides to prevent Mumbai from becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive IPL titles.
We pick out some of the things to look out for in what promises to be a mouthwatering extravaganza of cricket, which starts on Friday in a country that will stage the T20 World Cup later this year.
INDIANS PRIMED FOR THREE IN A ROW
The champions start the defence of their title with a blockbuster showdown against RCB in the first game of the tournament at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Mumbai will have to wait for Quinton de Kock's arrival as he is on duty with South Africa, so skipper Rohit will be expected to set the tone at the top of the order.
The India opener is the fourth-highest run-scorer in IPL history with 5,230 at an average of 31.31 and, although the 2020 edition was not one of his best, he struck a rapid 68 in the final. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav played significant hands with the bat in Mumbai's 2020 success.
Trent Boult was man of the match in that win over Delhi after taking 3-30 and the New Zealand seamer will have a big part to play with the ball along with Jasprit Bumrah.
STAND-IN SKIPPER PANT CAN LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Delhi's first IPL final proved to be painful in November, but they will fancy their chances of going one better under the captaincy of Rishabh Pant.
The addition of Steve Smith, who was released by Rajasthan Royals, is a major tonic, while Umesh Yadav and Sam Billings are among their other new recruits.
Kagiso Rabada was the leading wicket-taker in last year's tournament with 30 at 18.26 and Delhi will need him to fire again along with fellow Proteas quick Anrich Nortje.
Ravichandran Ashwin should be on a high from his Test exploits for India against England, while the in-form Pant can thrive as skipper with Shreyas Iyer ruled out due to a shoulder injury.
MORRIS UNDER PRESSURE TO JUSTIFY PRICE TAG
Chris Morris became the most expensive signing in IPL history when he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for 16.25crore (around £1.6million).
That staggering fee put the South Africa all-rounder ahead of Yuvraj Singh (16cr) as the biggest ever auction acquisition.
Morris was 20th on the list of the leading wicket-takers last year when featuring for RCB and only batted five times, with a top score of 25 not out.
ROY TO REUNITE WITH BAIRSTOW
England batsman Roy went unsold at auction but was drafted in by Sunrisers Hyderabad last week after Mitchell Marsh withdrew for personal reasons.
Sunrisers coach Trevor Bayliss was clearly excited by the prospect of Roy and Jonny Bairstow forming a pairing that has served England so well.
Roy may have to wait for his opportunity or Sunrisers could tinker with the order, as captain David Warner and Bairstow have formed a dangerous opening pairing.
Half-centuries from Mayank Argarwal (52) and Shikhar Dhawan (70) established a commanding lead for the Kings, which Mumbai always looked unlikely to reach once Rohit Sharma went for 28.
Dewald Brevis (49) and Suryakumar Yadav (43) both looked to spearhead an unlikely revival for Mumbai, but fell narrowly short of half-centuries as they suffered a fifth consecutive loss.
Mumbai elected to put the Kings into bat when winning the toss, but Agarwal and Dhawan struck up an excellent partnership as the Mumbai attack struggled to make headway early on.
The Kings reached 97 before Argarwal was caught by Yadav, before Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone were bowled out for 12 and two runs respectively.
Dangerman Dhawan was finally caught by Keiron Pollard after joining Argarwal in hitting a half-century, after which a decent showing from Jitesh Sharma (30) and a mammoth haul of 28 runs in the 17th over carried the Kings to 198.
Mumbai skipper Rohit was tasked with leading the response with the bat, but their hopes of avoiding another defeat looked slim once he fell for 28, particularly once partner Ishan Kishan went for just three runs shortly after.
Brevis and Tilak Varma subsequently sought to lead a stunning response, with the former smashing four consecutive sixes in a spectacular eighth over before falling to Odean Smith when one run short of his own century.
Tilak was run out by Argarwal soon after, before Pollard suffered a calamitous run-out for just 10 at the hands of Smith as Mumbai's hopes faded.
Yadav looked to lead once last attack for the batting side, but fell for 43 in a thrilling 19th over as the Kings held on for a third victory in five IPL outings, Smith posting three wickets in a comfortable final over.
Kings duo star with the bat
Half-centuries from the Kings' top-order batsmen set them on their way to victory, with Argarwal reaching 52 and Dhawan 70 in an outstanding display, setting a target which proved beyond Mumbai after their own top-order fell in quick fashion.
Stunning finish sees Smith rack up the wickets
Smith, meanwhile, finished with a brilliant four wickets from 30 balls for the victors after accounting for the last three dismissals of the match, as Mumbai collapsed after Yadav fell in the 19th.
Paceman Malinga opted out of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates, which starts on September 19, so he can be with his family in Sri Lanka.
Australia quick Pattinson will fly out to Abu Dhabi to join his new team-mates this weekend.
Indians owner Akash Ambani told the franchise's official website: "James is the right fit for us and adds to our pace attack options available at hand especially for the conditions we will play in this season.
"Lasith is a legend and a pillar of MI's strength. There is no denying the fact that we will miss Lasith's cricketing acumen this season.
"However, we fully understand Lasith's need to be in Sri Lanka with his family during this time.
"Mumbai Indians is founded on the values of 'One Family' and for us the members of our squad and their well-being will always hold utmost importance. We welcome James to our One Family."
This year's edition of the IPL had been due to begin in India in late March but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and it will now take place between September and November in the United Arab Emirates.
The first fixture, which takes place in Abu Dhabi on September 19, will see Rohit Sharma's Mumbai face MS Dhoni's Chennai, the team they defeated by one run in the 2019 final.
There will be 10 days of double-headers, with matches split across Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.
Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders will be the last two teams to play their first fixtures, which is thought to be because of the England and Australia players in their squads.
Those two countries are currently playing white-ball cricket in England, with the final match on September 16.
The Indians batted first after losing the toss and posted 182-5 in their 20 overs.
Sciver-Brunt’s knock 72* lasted only 38 deliveries and included nine fours and two sixes.
Amelia Kerr and Hayley Matthews also made valuable contributions with 29 and 26, respectively, against 2-39 from Sophie Ecclestone.
The Warriorz reply was a tame one as Kiran Navgire, with 43, was the only meaningful contributor as they were bowled out for 110 in only 17.4 overs.
Issy Wong led the way with the ball for the Indians with 4-15, including a hat trick, while Saika Ishaque took 2-24 from 2.4 overs.
The Mumbai Indians will now play the Delhi Capitals in the final at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday.
