T20 WC irrelevant for now, IPL remains the focus, says Pollard

Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard has said that the T20 World Cup is irrelevant for now as his main focus currently is to do well for his franchise in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021

Mumbai Indians' all-rounder Kieron Pollard has said that the T20 World Cup is irrelevant for now as his main focus currently is to do well for his franchise in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.

Mumbai Indians (MI) put on a clinical show with both bat and the ball as they defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six wickets on Tuesday at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. MI chased the target of 136 in 19 overs with the loss of just 4 wickets.

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"To be honest, World Cup is irrelevant at this point of time, we are playing the IPL tournament. When you are in a tournament as an individual, you look to think about present and not look too far ahead. It is a matter of giving all the guys confidence and finding the best solutions. These are guys that have done the job for us, people on the outside do not understand what cricketers go through.

"Why think about the T20 World Cup when we are playing the IPL. Let's deal with the present, everyone is going on about the pitches, but you cannot get what you want all the time. As a professional athlete, you need to adapt. For me, personally it is about staying in the present and dealing with what is in front of us as a team," he added.

Hardik Pandya starred with the bat as all-rounder smashed unbeaten 40* to carry his team over the victory line. Saurabh Tiwary and Kieron Pollard also played important innings of 45 and 15* respectively for the Mumbai Indians (MI). Pollard also scalped two wickets for the defending champions as they restricted PBKS to 135.

"What we have is belief is one another and we believe we can get out of any situation. So, I think biggest thing for us is belief and we have put ourselves in this situation and the players and the management is sticking together," said Pollard.

Mumbai Indians will next square off against Delhi Capitals in the IPL on Saturday.