The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back and so is the famous ‘Break the Beard Challenge’. This had gotten popular among the cricketers in the previous season and this year, Mumbai Indians (MI) vice-captain Kieron Pollard happens to be the first player to take it up.

Ahead of their fixture against Rajasthan Royals on October 6, Pollard decided to go for a makeover. He shaved off a part of his beard and donned a fresh new French cut on his face. The veteran all-rounder gave credit to his MI teammate and close friend Hardik Pandya for drawing inspiration.

Before the RR clash, Pollard took to his Instagram handle to reveal his new look. In addition, he passed the ball to Kolkata Knight Riders captain Dinesh Karthik, asking him to take the challenge. He wrote, “Cheggit! New Season, New Polly! Taking the cue from my brother @hardikpandya93. #BreakTheBeard and Game ON! #MIvsKKR. @dk00019 Ready?”

Here’s the video where Polly surprised hi fans with his new avatar:

The new look not only garnered praises from his fans and followers but also played a luck factor for Pollard as Mumbai Indians thrashed Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs. Pollard didn’t bat but picked up a wicket while bowling.

SuryaKumar Yadav was the star of the game who stole the show with his first fifty in this season. Batting first, Mumbai Indians posted a huge total of 193/4 where Suryakumar contributed with an innings of unbeaten 79 runs.

In reply, the Rajsthan Royals tumbled down as none of their batters, except Jos Buttler (70), could withstand the MI attack. Speedster Jaspreet Bumrah picked up 4 wickets in his spell and helped defeating RR by 57 runs.