MI Emirates Announce Players Retained for Season 2 of ILT20; Pollard Set to Continue

The MI Emirates side have officially announced their players retained for the second edition of the International League T20 (ILT20).

The side have retained 12 players for the new season. The second edition of the ILT20 is set to begin on the 13th January 2024

The MI Emirates side consists of a mix of current and former Mumbai Indians players who play across multiple teams owned by the franchise across the world. This includes exciting young players who have put in good performances throughout the season. The players have been signed as per the league guidelines and the rest of the squad will be announced in the near future.

The side finished third in the league of the inaugural edition of the ILT20. Their top-performing players were the West Indian veteran duo, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. Pollard was the third-highest run scorer with 394 runs while Bravo contributed with the ball having picked 13 wickets to become the fourth-highest wicket-taker in the season.

The play-offs which follow the same format as the IPL, MI Emirates was able to get past the first eliminator against Dubai Capitals. The side led by former Indian all-rounder, Yusuf Pathan managed to set a total of 151 which the MI Emirates chased down with the help of Nicholas Pooran who scored 66 of 36 balls and opening batter Andre Fletcher who scored 68 of 45 balls.

However, in the second eliminator, despite captain Kieron Pollard scoring 57 runs off 35 balls to help the side set a total of 167, the opening batter of the Gulf Giants, James Vince managed to smash 83 runs off 56 balls to secure his side a spot in the finals, which the side went on to win.

The players will continue with the #OneFamily and will adorn the blue and gold colours that the fans have come to recognize from the MI franchise.

Retained Players: Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Andre Fletcher, Muhammad Waseem, Zahoor Khan, Jordan Thompson, William Smeed, McKenny Clarke and Daniel Mousley.