Abu Dhabi, 14 November: Kieron Pollard, the newly named Mumbai Indians head coach, says defending champions UAE Bulls can recover from four straight defeats in the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10. Pollard is both captain and head coach of the Bulls, who have won one of their first five matches.
Asked how he handles the two roles, Pollard joked about how he discusses tactics with the captain. “The coach has plans, so the coach says to the captain. So, I watch myself in the mirror and say what I’m going to do,” he said.
Lost chasing 93
The Bulls’ fourth defeat came on Friday night. They failed to chase 93 against Arabian Aces after reducing them to 29 for six. Andre Russell’s counterattack brought the Aces back into the game.
“It should not have been 90-odd in the first place,” Pollard said. “And then, secondly, a score of 90-odd should be chased down.” On Russell, his former West Indies team-mate, he said: “He can single-handedly take the game away from you. He has been doing it for over 15 years on the international scene.”
Halfway through the tournament
“Any loss gives you a blow,” Pollard said. “But the reality of the situation is it’s still only halfway in the tournament and two, three wins here and there, we can be in a different sort of position. I think inside the dressing room, we have the calibre of guys to turn it around.”
He said the T10 schedule leaves little time to analyse defeats. “There’s planning into it, but there’s not much practice and all of that because games come thick and fast,” he said. He described the job as part of his move from playing into coaching: “It’s all part and parcel of a transition for me as a player into the coaching setup.”
Pollard praised local bowler Tahir, who bowled two overs without conceding a boundary, but warned against expecting too much of him. “We have a tendency to overhype persons at times,” he said. “He’s now getting into his craft. It’s been a good find for us.”
Asked what keeps experienced players such as himself and Russell motivated, he named training, being smart and understanding your body, and said such players can push younger team-mates not to relax when things are going well.
Also in Abu Dhabi: Trent Boult on swing bowling in the T10. More international cricket news.
