Mumbai Indians all-rounder Kieron Pollard was elated with his match-winning spell against Punjab Kings for which he was adjudged Player of the Match in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Tuesday.

It was a refreshing change to see Pollard win a match for MI with the ball even though he did play a crucial cameo in their 6-wicket win over PBKS in Match 42 in Abu Dhabi.

Pollard himself was glad that he delivered the goods with the ball, bagging the wickets of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul in the same over to put the breaks on Punjab’s progress in the first half. He also completed 300 T20 wickets during his spell and finished with 2 for 8 from 1 over.

MI vs PBKS, IPL 2021: Match 42 Highlights

“Very important (300th wicket). Bowling’s a bit under-rated eh! I just try to do my best whenever I get the opportunity. If needed, Rohit would have thrown the ball for me another over, but sometimes you just quit when you’re ahead.

“For me to get these wickets, I’ll take it each and every time. I don’t have pace, I don’t have spin, I don’t have swing, I don’t have swing, but I have a little bit of brain to get the job done,” Pollard said after the match.

Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah’s (2 for 24) spells helped MI restrict PBKS to 135 for 6 which they chased down with the help of Saurabh Tiwary (45), Hardik Pandya (40 not out) and Quinton de Kock (27) by the 19th over. Pollard also contributed with an important cameo of 15 not out off 7 balls.

“For me, it’s just of trying to practice and it’s all about practing and batting according to the situation. For us it’s very important to get these 2 points and hopefully this will be the much-needed spark in the dressing room,” Pollard concluded.

MI jumped two places to be ranked 5th on the IPL 2021 table. They are level on points with Kolkata Knight Riders but are a spot behind due to their inferior net run rate.