The Mumbai Indians vs Lucknow Super Giants fixture, scheduled to be played on 27th April at Wankhede stadium, will be our annual Education and Sports for All (ESA) game played in front of 19,000 kids coming from diverse NGOs.

Coming into this match on the back of four successive wins, the Boys in Blue and Gold will look to make it five in a row in front of a sea of future stars cheering their hearts out for the team.

Ahead of the fixture, our Batting Coach Kieron Pollard expressed his gratitude towards a beautiful initiative, who himself was a part of it for several years as an MI player.

“From the onset of my time at MI, I’ve played matches of this magnitude. It’s an initiative that holds well with me personally and lives in my heart. We get the opportunity to experience the finer things in life in terms of playing.

“You’ve all these kids wanting that opportunity. What Reliance has done in terms of having one specific game just for children who don't have the opportunities is fantastic. It brings something different out of each and every individual in the dressing room,” he continued.

“For these children to come and see some of their future heroes… It's just a remarkable initiative and it's something that we look forward to. Even the overseas players look forward to hearing the cheers of these kids. So hopefully, we can go out and give a good show. But the end result that will matter to them is the experience they had in the stadium because that's gonna live with them for the rest of their lives,” Polly said.

Talking about the upturn in recent form and the areas to improve, our तात्या gave a brief assessment on how the team has found a ‘method’ and that ‘improving’ is a continuous process.

“We’ve to deal with what's in the present. I think we have found a method and it has worked for us. We're enjoying it. It's great to see that the guys go out and perform the way they are performing recently,” Polly said, praising his students.

“You're always wanting for more. For us, we just continue to look to improve in all three facets of the game. There are certain critical junctures where we need to win critical moments. The more we can do that consistently, the better it's going to be for us.

“From a fielding efficiency perspective, we are right up there at the top. You're not gonna be 100%, but there's always that room for improvement. Once you're playing the tournament, there are areas to improve with each passing game. As a unit, we just continue to try to get better and see where that lands us,” Pollard said.

Meanwhile, our Batting Coach also applauded Hardik Pandya’s comeback following a difficult 2024 season.

“I think he's enjoyed cricket as we have all seen… winning the [T20] World Cup & the Champions Trophy. He’s an individual that has gone through a lot.

“For me, I'm happy to see where he's right now. Sometimes, we need to give a bit of leeway to some individuals at certain times. His journey with Mumbai Indians started in 2015 and I continue to watch his journey. Seeing the ups and downs is part of the sport. That's what life and the journey is about,” Polly said.