Kieron Pollard emerged from another triumphant Caribbean Premier League campaign feeling equal parts satisfied and exasperated. Trinbago Knight Riders secured a tight victory over home side Guyana Amazon Warriors in Sunday’s final at Providence, yet large pockets of the crowd booed the veteran all-rounder almost every time he touched the ball.
“It [Winning the CPL] means a lot,” Pollard said straight after lifting both trophy and Player-of-the-Tournament medal. “But one thing I’ll say. There’s three countries in the Caribbean where we have played, the booing is boring now. We are still the laughing stock of cricket in the West Indies. You have a guy who has represented the entire Caribbean over a period of time, putting them on the map in the format. Yet, we still don’t appreciate him. I’m not bitter but I feel sorry, not for myself.”
Those words did not come out of nowhere. The 38-year-old has been subjected to similar receptions around the region; last year he was jeered at the Darren Sammy Stadium despite once captaining St Lucia. This, he feels, undercuts the very idea of a pan-Caribbean T20 competition.
Pollard’s numbers underline why opposing supporters might target him. His 383 runs in 11 innings arrived at a strike-rate nudging 175, the best in the league. Nobody cleared the rope more often – 36 sixes – and he passed long-time team-mate Dwayne Bravo for the most T20 titles in history: 18 to Bravo’s 17. With bat in hand and a calm head in the field, he remains a significant match-winner.
Yet the man himself is unwilling to guarantee he will be back for CPL 2026. “I can’t tell you the future,” he told television interviewer Daren Ganga as celebrations wound down. “I can only deal with what’s in front of me. I have a flight coming up and I’m getting home to the kids. I’m just trying to enjoy some time at home. I’ve been on the road for the entire year. So, I think I owe it to them. Let’s see what happens. At the end of the year, I’ll still be playing in the ILT20 in Dubai. So that’s the only thing I can tell you at this point of time.”
Pollard retired from the Indian Premier League in 2023 and dipped a toe into coaching with Mumbai later that season, so a future behind the boundary feels plausible. For now, he continues to extend an already remarkable playing résumé.
Former West Indies batter Brendan Nash, working as a pundit in Providence, offered a measured take: “He’s still producing elite-level power hitting. Crowds pay for entertainment, but constant booing can cheapen the spectacle.”
Knight Riders coach Bravo, never shy of a word, kept it concise. “Polly delivers, simple,” he said, patting his old friend on the back during the on-field interview scrum.
How long Pollard keeps delivering is, by his own admission, an open question. What is beyond doubt is that, even at 38, he remains central to the CPL narrative – cheers, boos and all.
