West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard has been named as captain of the Bloem City Blazers for the inaugural T20 Global League.

The explosive player has had several involvements in leaderships roles, captaining the Mumbai Indians in the IPL and the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League.

He has also had experience with the T20 Challenge in South Africa: last year he scored 203 runs in eight innings for the Cape Cobras, with an average of 40.6 and a strike rate of 169.

Bloem City Blazers head coach  Phil Simmons said: ‘Polly is a World-Cup winning player and has won numerous T20 domestic titles across the globe; his leadership is a vital asset to the Bloem City Blazers. He brings with him a deep understanding of the game, and the energy and passion to inspire the squad in our first attempt at T20 Global League success.’

The 30-year-old has played 56 T20 Internationals and 387 domestic T20 matches in a decade-long career.

The Blazers will open their Global League campaign against Cape Town Knight Riders at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on 5 November.

Bloem City Blazers squad: David Miller, Kieron Pollard, Dane Paterson, Chris Jordan, Dwayne Smith, Shaun von Berg), Aaron Phangiso, Morne van Wyk (wk), Beuran Hendricks, Theunis de Bruyn, Janneman Malan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Clyde Fortuin, Rayad Emrit, Werner Coetsee, Yaseen Vallie, Akhona Mnyaka, Keegan Petersen.