IPL 2021, MI Predicted XI vs PBKS: Mumbai likely to drop Krunal Pandya keeping porous middle-order in mind

IPL 2021, MKI Predicted XI: Mumbai Indians likely to take some tough calls to get campaign back on track against Punjab Kings.

Three losses on the trot. That's seriously going to hurt an already bruised Mumbai Indians (MI) unit. In two of their last three matches, they have given away the contest from a dominant, winning position and their star-studded middle-order's failure has only made things worse for them. From here on, every game is virtually do-or-die for the two-time defending champions. After a morale-crunching 54-run defeat at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), MI next face the Punjab Kings (PBKS), who dug themselves out of a hole against SRH to successfully defend 125 in 20 overs. Skipper Rohit Sharma now has to decide whether to stick to his usual suspects or make some bold changes. The biggest question is: Will Krunal Pandya stay? Let's try and work it out.

Krunal Pandya (L) of Mumbai Indians (IPL)

Here is a look at MI's Predicted XI vs PBKS:

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1) Rohit Sharma (C): The Mumbai Indians captain heads into the contest on the back of two impressive innings. He scored 33 against KKR before smashing a quickfire 43 against RCB in their last game. He's one of the biggest positives in that batting line-up and will continue to lead from the front. Yes, he was hit on the hand by an Ishan Kishan shot but he should be able to recover on time.

2) Quinton de Kock (WK): Time and again, we keep saying that the South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman looked a million dollars before getting out. The situation was no different against RCB, where he hit fluent 24. Now, it the time for him to convert his starts and go on to score a big one. Otherwise, it will be too late.

3) Suryakumar Yadav: Talk about a torrid phase. MI's "Mr. Reliable" is having a forgettable IPL 2021 phase II. He just hasn't looked himself and is getting out to poor shots off very ordinary deliveries. But, we all know the reputation and the talent he possesses and it is likely that Rohit will continue to place his trust in him.

4) Ishan Kishan: Talking about the skipper placing his trust in a player, Jharkhand's wicketkeeper-batsman is also likely to reap the benefit of it. He hasn't quite shown the responsibility he is capable of but Rohit publicly admitted that the franchise believes in him and will continue to back him. Hence, he looks like a certain starter as well.

5) Kieron Pollard: His underwhelming responses are really, really Mumbai now. Yes, he's the stand-in captain for whenever Rohit is unavailable and yes he is a MI legend, but for how long can MI continue to keep up with him? Even in the past whenever Pollard hasn't fired, he would show glimpses of what was about to come. However, in phase II so far, everything is missing. While Rohit is unlikely to replace him with a certain Jimmy Neesham, who could be a handy replacement, it is now-or-never time for Pollard to regain his mojo and in all departments.

6) Hardik Pandya: Hardik was rusty and understandably so. Having not played competitive cricket for a few months and returning from fitness issues, Hardik, despite being an electric wire in the field, dropped a catch and failed with the bat. Against PBKS, he needs to come good.

7) James Neesham: The first big change that Rohit could look at making would be to bring in a genuine all-rounder in James Neesham. The Kiwi all-rounder is a medium-pacer and going by the history of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, bowlers who have less pace to offer can wreak havoc. Moreover, he is an explosive batsman who can hit a long ball. With Adam Milne failing to pick up wickets and leaking runs after the first game, Neesham would be a handy replacement. He can bowl 4 and also bat.

8) Jayant Yadav: It is clear that Krunal Pandya is running out of time in this phase of the season and it is high time for Rohit to bench him for the upcoming game and bring in a genuine spinner in Jayant Yadav. One might argue that Kruna possesses better batting abilities than Jayant, but the other can also argue that Krunal hasn't done anything, with the bat or ball, to merit a place in the team. Knowing how tricky the Abu Dhabi pitch is for batter and how good it is for the spinner, the combination of two genuine spinners in Chahar and Yadav could do some serious damage to the also porous-looking PBKS middle-order.

9) Trent Boult: After a wicketless game against KKR, New Zealand speedster Trent Boult found his rhythm against RCB. His 1/17 in Dubai on Sunday was one of the few positives for the side and once again, he would be a handy operator in the powerplay.

10) Rahul Chahar: A skillful leg-spinner who not picks wickets but also manages to stem the run-flow. He went for a few against RCB but also picked up a wicket. Another definite starter.

11) Jasprit Bumrah: An indispensable member of Mumbai, Bumrah has looked the best bowler for the side by a long distance. He heads into the contest on the back of two consecutive three-wicket hauls.

MI's Predicted XI vs PBKS: Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, James Neesham, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah