Kieron Pollard added another remarkable chapter to his T20 legacy on Sunday by overtaking Chris Gayle become the leading run-scorer in the history of the format during Major League Cricket 2026.The milestone came when the former West Indies all-rounder reached 81 during MI New York’s clash against the Washington Freedom. Pollard ended up unbeaten on 100 off 56 deliveries, although his century came in a losing cause. This knock took his career T20 tally to 14,582 runs from 736 matches, at an average of 31.83 and a strike rate of 151.12.In doing so, the 39-year-old overtook fellow West Indian Chris Gayle, ending the “Universe Boss'” 12-year stay at the top of the all-time T20 runs charts.For Pollard, this achievement has added significance as the vast majority of those runs came while batting in the middle and lower order rather than as a top-order batsman.“To surpass Chris Gayle, someone we’ve looked up to in the West Indies for a while, is special. He’s done great things in all formats of cricket, so again, sorry Universe Boss, but we’re both up there,” Pollard said after the match.“Having said that, batting at No. 6 or 7 is very difficult. Someone has to do the dirty work though, and while everyone rushes to bat at the top of the order, a game of cricket involves 11 men and everyone has a role to play. I guess my role over time has been to finish matches, and I’ve accepted that. Once you accept the challenge and practice for it, good things come,” he added.Pollard’s rise to the pinnacle of T20 cricket also serves as a reminder of a generation of West Indian cricketers who embraced franchise cricket long before it became widely accepted. With players like Gayle and Dwayne Well donePollard has often faced criticism for favoring franchise leagues, which many believe has come at the expense of international commitments.However, looking back, Pollard has no regrets about the path he chose and believes that time has vindicated the decisions of his generation.“Hell no, I’d be lying if I said that [if he ever imagined achieving the ‘most runs’ feat]. But what I’m proud of, individually and with all those other guys you mentioned like Chris, is that we took the plunge and were often made fun of for it. Now you live to see guys at a young age even retire from international cricket to play franchise cricket because again cricket is no longer just a sport; “It’s a job,” he said.“One thing I’ve learned in life about human beings is that when you do something different, change is something we’re not really used to. I’m happy that I lived to see the day and I hope that everyone who criticized us over the years can sit back and say ‘Cheers’. We don’t need an apology. Respect every format of the game, but understand that just like technology, everything changes,” he added.
