Kieron Pollard, Mumbai Indians' biggest impact player, said the team dedicated the Champions League T20 victory to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who even without playing motivated the team with his sheer presence.“Sachin Tendulkar has been part of the Mumbai Indians since its inception and the team hasn't managed to win any trophy since then. And now although we've won this one without him being on the field his sheer presence has motivated us all. His advice in the team meetings, listening to his experiences, all that was very vital. We dedicate this victory to Sachin.
The Caribbean all-rounder was pleased to win a trophy with the Mumbai-based team after ending as runners-up twice.
“Yes! finally. We reached the final in IPL 2010 and in the semi-final in the last IPL as well. It feels absolutely fantastic again to reach the final here and go the whole hog.
“What makes this even sweeter is the guys really pulled in their weight and came together. Especially the younger guys really went out there and showed tremendous character and we played as a team.
“The bowlers did a fantastic job for us right through the tournament whereas the batsmen didn't come to the party. But at the end of the day both batsmen and bowlers are a part of the team and the victory belongs to the team,” Pollard said.
Talking about his form in the tournament, Pollard said: “I was pretty inconsistent with the bat, although I did alright with the ball and in the field. There are a certain areas that I need to work on but since the team has won, I cannot complain about my own performance,” he concluded.