IPL 2021: Match 39 – Strongest Mumbai Indians (MI) Predicted Playing XI against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

In tournaments as fiercely competitive as the Indian Premier League, no team no matter how good has the luxury to falter too many times. And faltering too often has been the trend in 2021 IPL for five-time champs Mumbai Indians, who have slipped from fourth to the sixth spot in the tally after suffering a seven-wicket defeat by a team they have endlessly dominated in the league (read: Kolkata Knight Riders).

Mumbai blew hot and cold in the Indian leg of the tournament when the sluggish surfaces of Chennai haunted them and spoilt their plans. But once they moved to Delhi, a slight bit of pace on the tracks helped Mumbai Indians gather some pace in their campaign. But come the UAE leg, where they entered being situated in a territory neither safe nor dangerous, two losses on the trot have shifted things for them in the latter territory.

As always is the case in this league, the mid-table tension has started to build, with as many as three teams including MI being tied on 8 points at positions no. 4-6, separated only by net run rate. In the next rubber, Rohit Sharma and Co. come up against a team on whom similar fate has befallen: third-placed RCB have lost both their games in the UAE so far too. As things stand, a win is what both teams need, but it is Mumbai who needs it more desperately.

Predicted Playing XI of Mumbai Indians (MI) for IPL 2021 Match 39:

Openers – Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock

After sitting out in the season-resuming encounter against Chennai Super Kings owing to a dodgy knee, Rohit Sharma mustered a 30-ball 33 on return. It was far from any of his flowy knocks, and while he did manage to add 78 for the first wicket alongside Quinton de Kock, he could never up the ante from his end.

De Kock was himself guilty of not being able to keep the pace of his innings consistent with the format. His 55 against Kolkata bodes well for MI in terms of his form, which has not been at the best this season, but de Kock ended up consuming 42 balls in the process, an area he would want to improve in the coming encounters.

Middle-order – Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan

Both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have now got two forgettable outings in a row. Yadav was removed by Prasidh Krishna for just 5 off 10 against KKR, while Kishan scored a boundary-less 13-ball 14 before being undone by Lockie Ferguson. Even though the misfiring duo of Kishan and Yadav cannot be termed the only reason behind Mumbai Indians’ non-dominant show this year, they are certainly have been one of the reasons.

All-rounders – Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya

Hardik Pandya has sat out of both the encounters in the UAE thus far but is expected to be available on Sunday against RCB. He heavily misfired in the Indian leg of the tournament, and with that kind of form, there is only upwards to go. It is not certain whether he would be available for his bowling duties. However, if the claims of India’s chief selector Chetan Sharma, who confirmed that he would bowl his full quota come to the T20 World Cup, are anything to go by, Pandya could be seen rolling his arm at least a few times in the next couple of weeks.

As for the other all-rounders Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, the UAE leg has been lukewarm. Pollard did not bowl against KKR and scored 21 off 15, while Krunal got 12 off 9 apart from registering figures of 0/25 in three overs. Despite their middling returns, they pick themselves.

Bowlers – Adam Milne, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar

Effective to the extreme degree against CSK, Trent Boult and Adam Milne seemed off-colour, to say the least, against KKR, as they returned with figures of 0/23 and 0/29 in two and three overs, respectively.

On the side of the economy, their partner Jasprit Bumrah was worse – he leaked 43 in his four, but his numbers give a better reading for the three wickets he picked. Economic otherwise, Rahul Chahar too returned without any wicket, giving away 34 runs. Safe to say, it was none of MI bowler’s day.