There are times when you have to take few tough calls: Harbhajan Singh on if MI should retain Kieron Pollard

Former spinner Harbhajan Singh spoke on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan – IPL Retention Special’ on whether Mumbai Indians should retain batter West Indian batter Kieron Pollard, saying that the 5-times IPL champions should take a tough call and urged them to find someone who can do what Pollard has done for them all these years. He in particular namedropped Cameron Green, who is available in the auction.

“Well, I think it’s going to be very difficult for Mumbai Indians to release Kieron Pollard. He’s been there for many years. But yes, there are times when you have to take few tough calls and maybe this is the time. They have to move forward and make a team for the next 4-5 years and try to find someone who can do what Pollard has done over the years. Yes, they have Tim David, who can do a similar sort of job and of course, there is another Australian in the auction that is Cameroon Green. I think they will be eyeing him to be part of the Mumbai set-up. Of course, it’s going to be a tough call, but at some stage, you have to take those calls,” he said.

Since making his IPL debut in 2010, Pollard has made 189 appearances, scoring 3,412 runs at a strike rate of 147.32 and claiming 69 wickets with his gentle medium pace.

In the same show, former India allrounder Irfan Pathan spoke on what strategy Mumbai Indians will deploy if England fast-bowler Jofra Archer isn’t available for selection again. The 27-year-old Archer, who last played international cricket in March 2021 in an away series against India, had undergone an elbow surgery and then made a comeback to county cricket for Sussex before suffering a stress fracture. In last year’s mega IPL auction, he was bought by MI though he did not take part in this year’s edition.

“I think they still need to look for a death bowler. It’s very important, because Jofra Archer is coming back from injury. Jasprit Bumrah is also coming back from injury. Last year, what I felt from their bowling department, with Jofra not being there, they really did not have that sharpness in their bowling, especially in the death overs. They kept going with Basil Thampi and Jaydev Unadkat as well, so definitely, even if Jofra and Jasprit Bumrah come back, they still need someone at the backend at least for the sake of a replacement. If something goes wrong with Bumrah or Archer, they need someone who can bowl at the death. So, I really think they’ll be looking at that as well,” Pathan said.

Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody spoke on whether it would be wise for Sunrisers Hyderabad to retain New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson due to his patchy form in T20s in the last few months.

“It’s an interesting one for Sunrisers, because when you commit at the beginning of a big auction to retain a player of the caliber of Kane Williamson at 14 crores, you would think that they are thinking about the long term. They’re thinking about the bigger picture. But clearly, he’s had a disastrous campaign in the last four months in T20 cricket, certainly not up to his standards. We know his quality as a leader. He’s a highly respected leader in the IPL and globally. So, it just depends on how much weight they put on that leadership. So, whether they release him or not. To me, 14 crores is a lot of money for any player,” Moody said.