"Once it's finished, it's done" - MI legend breaks silence over heated exchange with Virat Kohli during playing days

Former West Indies and Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Kieron Pollard has reflected on his heated exchange with Mitchell Starc and Virat Kohli during IPL 2014. In a match between Mumbai and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Wankhede Stadium, tensions flared in the 17th over of the hosts’ innings when Pollard moved away as Starc was on his run-up, prompting the bowler to fire the ball towards him. In anger, Pollard threw his bat back at Starc.

As the situation escalated, Virat Kohli also stepped in to calm things down, but Pollard remained upset as the two players exchanged words. Pollard recently broke his silence on the incident, explaining that it was a heated moment and that it did not affect his relationship with Kohli or Starc. He said [via News24 Sports]:

“We (Kohli and him) have been in the same space together, and we played a lot of international cricket after that. We both captained our international teams. So we had a lot of different conversations. That didn’t change anything; as I said, it happened on the cricket field and once it’s finished, it’s done.”

“Same with Mitchell Starc, coming up against him even recently, playing against him in international cricket. Again, we all have those instances, and the way that franchise cricket has been brought about as well, you get the opportunity to sit with a lot of these guys and conversate and understand them from a human level rather than just a sporting level, when you’re coming up against them in that sort of sphere. So again, all well, everything is well. We played hard at that point in time. Most importantly, Mumbai Indians won that game,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai secured a 19-run victory, successfully defending a total of 188. Following the incident, Pollard was fined 75% of his match fee, while Starc received a 50% fine.

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“I’ve seen him from a small boy into a man” - MI coach Kieron Pollard on Hardik Pandya

During the same interaction, Mumbai Indians batting coach Kieron Pollard spoke about franchise captain Hardik Pandya, highlighting how he has witnessed his growth over the years. He also noted how Pandya has managed to navigate the ups and downs in his life.

“I’ve seen him from a youngster in Mumbai Indians, and I’ve seen him from a small boy into a man. He’s gotten himself into trouble, part and parcel of life. We tend to ridicule people, but again, we are all human beings, and we all make mistakes. But he was able to come out of that and, recently, be a World Cup winner for India as well. So again, he’s someone that I’d said I’ve seen from growth, from a young boy into a man, and long may that continue for the rest of his career,” Kieron Pollard said.

Hardik Pandya is set to return to action on Friday, September 19, when India take on Oman in their Group A Asia Cup 2025 match in Abu Dhabi.