Kieron Pollard has been appointed captain of MI Emirates for the upcoming ILT20 2025 season, taking over from Nicholas Pooran. The league’s fourth edition will run from December 2 to January 4 across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.
Pollard, 38, is the most capped player in T20 cricket, having played 720 matches, and is just 326 runs shy of surpassing Chris Gayle as the highest run-scorer in the format. He has amassed 14,237 runs at an average of 31.85 and a strike rate of 151.23. Pollard will work alongside former India allrounder Robin Singh, who serves as MI Emirates’ coach.
The MI Emirates squad also features West Indian talent in Andre Fletcher, Romario Shepherd, and Ackeem Auguste, with Fletcher fetching USD 260,000 at the inaugural ILT20 auction. The team will launch their campaign against Gulf Giants on December 4 in Dubai.
Pollard’s leadership and wealth of T20 experience are expected to be pivotal for MI Emirates as they chase their first ILT20 title.
MI Emirates
Auction Signings: Muhammad Rohid (USD 140,000), Jordan Thompson (USD 48,000), Naveen-ul-Haq (USD 100,000), Andre Fletcher (USD 260,000), Nosthush Kenjige (USD 10,000), Mohamed Shafeeq (USD 10,000), Zain Ul Abidin (USD 10,000), Usman Khan (USD 10,000), Ackeem Auguste (USD 10,000), Arab Gul (USD 10,000), Tajinder Dhillon (USD 10,000), Zahoor Khan (USD 10,000), Shakib Al Hasan (USD 40,000).
Retentions + Direct Signings: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tom Banton, Romario Shepherd, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, AM Ghazanfar, Muhammad Waseem, Kamindu Mendis.
Wildcards: Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard.
