Former West Indies and Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Kieron Pollard recently opened up about his heated exchange with Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc during the IPL 2014. Pollard also stated that the incident was just a moment on the field and did not affect their professional relationship with Kohli and Starc.
Kohli has not featured in any competitive matches since the IPL 2025 final for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The batter finished as RCB’s top scorer and helped the team secure their maiden IPL trophy. He scored 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71, including eight fifties.
Heated Altercation Between Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc
The IPL 2014 clash at Wankhede between the Mumbai Indians and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru is remembered as one of the biggest altercations in tournament history. Tensions boiled over between Kieron Pollard and Mitchell Starc in the 17th over of MI’s innings.
It began when Starc bowled a sharp bouncer that Pollard failed to connect with, followed by an exchange of words between the two. On the very next delivery, Pollard backed away just as Starc was charging in, but the pacer went ahead and fired the ball close to the batter’s legs.
Pollard reacted by throwing his bat in Starc’s direction. It slipped from his hands and landed harmlessly on the leg side without making contact. Starc later dismissed Pollard and taunted him. Virat Kohli intervened to defuse the situation, but Pollard remained visibly upset.
That Didn’t Change Anything – Kieron Pollard on On-Field Altercation with Virat Kohli
Kieron Pollard stated that the altercation with Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc was a heated moment on the field. Pollard stated that he continued to play international cricket against them and maintained normal interactions.
“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,” Pollard said [via News24 Sports].
Same With Mitchell Starc – Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard stated that franchise cricket allows players to understand each other beyond the sport. Pollard emphasized that everything is fine between him and Mitchell Starc.
“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 converse 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.
Mumbai Indians won the match by 19 runs while defending a target of 188. After the on-field altercation, Pollard was fined 75% of his match fee, while Starc received a 50% fine for their involvement in the incident.