The charismatic Caribbean all-rounder Kieron Pollard will be one of the pivotal figures in the Mumbai Indians squad going ahead in the Nokia T20 Champions League.

Considering Pollard’s credentials in the shorter versions of the game, the Mumbai Indians will strongly have their hopes pinned on him to make an impact.

Pollard too is determined to make his mark in the Champions League and help his team win games. Speaking to Mumbaiindians.com on pre-tournament preparations, Pollard said, “Our preparations have been pretty good. Although I joined the team a couple of days ago, the boys have been preparing hard at camps in Baroda and Bangalore and looking forward to some competitive matches coming up in the Champions League. Hopefully, we can go out in the middle and perform to our abilities.”

The Mumbai Indians have suffered a major setback after skipper Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. On being quizzed about Tendulkar’s absence and the team’s new game plan, Pollard said, “Obviously, Mr. Sachin is very important to our team. Having said that I must also add that he has passed on his knowledge to the youngsters in the team for all these years in the IPL and all guys have learnt a lot from him.  We have four games in the preliminary league. When you get an opportunity, you do well for your team and yourself. If you do not get an opportunity, so be it. At the end of the day, when you are going back to your room and looking at yourself in the mirror, you know if you are giving your best. We do have and will have a game plan from the first game and see how our plan works, and try to improve with each and every game as we go forward.”

Pollard has represented a few teams in the international circuit in the T20 format and given his stature in international cricket and the value he brings to a team as a cricketer, many teams across the globe would love to include him in their scheme of things.

When asked if he faces any dilemma, Pollard emphatically said, “I do not see any dilemma and I play for Mumbai Indians. MI has been the only team I have been thinking about and I have already played for Mumbai. I am here to play for Mumbai Indians.”

Well, as far as the MI Paltan and fans go, they will be hoping for Pollard to fire on all cylinders to take the team where it belongs.