Published: Apr 13, 2017, 12:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 13, 2017, 01:04 PM (IST)
Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 saw its first controversy erupt after match 7 wherein Mumbai Indians (MI) locked horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Sunday. Former India player and commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar’s wrong choice of words to describe Kieron Pollard‘s batting ability at the top order evoked negative reactions from the Caribbean player. In MI’s next game, versus Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), when Manjrekar joined the commentary panel, Ravi Shastri teased him and asked if he got a chance to talk to his “buddy” at the toss. Manjrekar replied saying he “kept a safe distance” and termed the entire incident as a “shocker coming from nowhere”. IPL 2017: Kieron Pollard’s angry tweet to Sanjay Manjrekar stirs controversy in IPL 10
The Pollard-Manjrekar episode sprung up when MI were in a precarious position against KKR and Pollard took guard on Sunday. To make matters worse, the West Indian could not fire on all cylinders, leaving the other batsmen with a lot to do. Manjrekar, who was on air during Pollard’s brief stay at the crease, commented on the lines of Pollard not having the capability to go full throttle with a relatively new ball. As a result, Pollard took to Twitter and expressed his disappointment.
“Pollard does not have the brains to play early in the innings,” Manjrekar was quoted while MI were chasing a daunting score against KKR, which they eventually won. After the victory, Pollard wrote directly to Manjrekar on Twitter, “u feel any positive can come out of your mouth bcuz u get pay to talk u can continue with your verbal diarrhea ..” (sic)
In a series of tweets, Pollard was also joined in by compatriot Tino Best who came out in his support. Hopefully, both the players will let bygones be bygones and move forward in the right manner.
