Like Ronaldo in Barcelona: Super Kings signing Pollard sparks hilarious memes

Kieron Pollard's move from MI Cape Town to Joburg Super Kings in SA20 left fans amused, with social media drawing unlikely parallels, questioning franchise loyalty and flooding X with memes over the surprising switch.Kieron Pollard will play for Jo'Burg Super Kings in SA20. Courtesy: PTINew Delhi,Oct 8, 2026 21:18 ISTKieron Pollard spent much of his career making life miserable for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Now, 16 years after Chennai tried and failed to sign him at the 2010 auction, the Mumbai Indians legend will finally wear Super Kings yellow.Just not in Chennai.Pollard was picked up by Joburg Super Kings for R1.5 million at the SA20 Season 5 auction on Wednesday, going completely unopposed. The move means the 39-year-old will make his first appearance for a Super Kings franchise, after spending much of his career within the Mumbai Indians ecosystem.For CSK fans, the signing comes with plenty of history. Pollard played 29 IPL matches against Chennai, scoring 636 runs at a strike rate of 169.60. Mumbai won 16 of those matches, underlining just how often the powerful Trinidadian proved to be a thorn in CSK's side. Some of his most memorable performances against MS Dhoni's side came in games that remain part of IPL folklore.In the 2019 final, Pollard held the Mumbai innings together with an unbeaten 41 off 25 balls as MI posted 149/7. Chennai came agonisingly close in the chase before Mumbai won the final by one run. Pollard's three sixes and three fours proved crucial in a low-scoring thriller. Then came that extraordinary night in Delhi in 2021. Chasing 219, Mumbai were staring at a daunting target before Pollard produced one of the great IPL heists. He smashed an unbeaten 87 off just 34 balls, hitting eight sixes and six fours, and took Mumbai over the line off the final ball.Now, the man who once tormented CSK will walk into a Super Kings dressing room.Pollard spent the previous three seasons associated with MI Cape Town, including a return midway through the 2026 season as a replacement for Rashid Khan. He was released ahead of the auction and became available for the 19 slots still to be filled.The moment his name came up in Johannesburg, Joburg Super Kings immediately raised the paddle. There was no contest. Pollard was sold for his base price of R1.5 million. The official SA20 account even described the bid as being made immediately and “unopposed”.Social media, unsurprisingly, had plenty to say.For some fans, seeing Pollard in yellow was simply too strange to process. Others joked about the apparent lack of loyalty in modern franchise cricket, while several drew comparisons with the unthinkable prospect of Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Barcelona.The memes kept coming, with fans using everything from football rivalries to popular film references to capture the oddity of seeing one of MI's most recognisable figures suddenly become a Super King.Pollard may be changing colours, but his history with the Super Kings ensures this is unlikely to be treated as just another SA20 signing.- Ends