A 34-ball 87* from Kieron Pollard, a 219-run chase, and a last-ball victory - in all ways, this game against the Chennai Super Kings, lived up to its hype of being the Saturday night thriller we all needed to see. 

When the Big Man smashed away 5 sixes in the space of 12 balls, we realised he means business. The weather report in Delhi would’ve read “raining sixes” with a Polly carnage ripping through the CSK bowlers. 

The man of the moment, the Player of the Match, addressed the press after the game. Below are excerpts from the conference: 

Where does this innings stand in your list of best knocks in IPL? 

Pollard: “I’ll leave that to you guys to write about. You know all the stats, you guys know everything that we’ve done over the years. You know, for me it's not about the ratings, it's more about doing the job for the team. You need to give for the team, and that’s what I’ve done.” 

How do you singlehandedly win matches like this for MI? Who else other than you could have done it? 

Pollard: “Again, there are a lot of guys who are talented here, right. A lot of guys who would have won matches of cricket for their international teams and different franchises. So, I don’t want to name anybody, but a lot of guys have this talent as well. Again, it was nice to get an opportunity to bat for a couple of overs and win the game for the team, but again total team effort in the innings. Krunal, as well, was crucial. Even the skipper, and Quinton as well, giving us that start, you know. And then there were a couple of sixes from Hardik coming into bat there. I thought it was fantastic for us, a total team effort for us from a batting perspective. Yeah, we’ll take the two points and we move on.” 

How have you been MI’s matchwinner for so long? Why do you think the games against CSK bring out the best in you? 

Pollard: “Yeah, over a period of time you’re comfortable with a franchise and they believe in you. You know, even after so many years, you want to continue to come out and perform for them, perform with pride. You know, for me, it’s about coming in day in and day out, trying to evolve myself and try to give my best.” 

“World-class players are in the CSK team. When you look at it, people call this match-up the El Clasico of the IPL. You know, when you have international guys with so much experience, you know, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, guys who’ve done it time and again, you want to be able to come out and perform in these sort of matches. These sort of things are what stand out when people speak about you in videos. So for me, it’s a matter of doing what I can, playing to my strengths, doing what the team requires at any given time.” 

While chasing a total like this, do you have an equation in mind? 

Pollard: “Of course, the equation is on the board. The run-rate required is there for you to see. It’s the matter for you now to try and pick which bowlers you’ll be more comfortable to hit, who is the best bowler on that day, and try to maneuver that. So, there are a lot of different things that go through your mind, but it’s a matter of trying to keep calm as much as possible in such situations and try to make contact with that ball. More often we practice these sorts of situations and scenarios in the practice sessions. You know, it’s just the matter of when you get a chance to come out and try to execute that in the match itself.” 

How did you plan the entire chase? 

Pollard: “We had a small conversation in the dressing room during the innings break about how good the pitch was. And we knew that if we stayed in there, we can’t win in the first six overs. But, if we get that foundation, we have the armoury and the talent to deliver for us. I thought from the onset, the way that Rohit and Quinton played and gave us a good start in the powerplay.” 

“I think we just lost a couple of quick wickets but after that, it was a matter of picking a bowler and try to execute as best as possible. So, small things go on, but with a small margin that you want to win as a team and as an individual when you’re chasing these mammoth totals. So, I think it was a total team effort from a batting perspective. As I said before, the bowlers didn’t have the best of days, but these things were expected.” 

“We played in Chennai and had five magnificent games as a bowling unit. We had to commend, and the batting had to come forward at some point in time. These were some of the discussions that we had. It was really tough for us in Chennai, and we know that. We battled it out, and now whenever we get an opportunity on good wickets, we have to try and execute our skills properly with the bat as well. So, that’s why it’s a team sport, and that’s why there are three parts of the game, batting, bowling, and fielding.” 

Paltan, if you watched the game tonight, be aware that you witnessed something special. Whether you watched the game or not, revisiting the highlights to relive that exceptional knock is 100% recommended. Two more points in our pocket now, and we only go upwards from here.