On a downward spiral after suffering their fifth loss of the season, debutants Rising Pune Supergiants would look to plug the holes in bowling to get their campaign back on track when they face title-holders Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier league match, here on Sunday.
led by the talismanic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rising Pune Supergiants did not have the best of starts in their debut season, losing five of the seven matches they played so far.
The Pune outfit is presently languishing at the sixth spot in the eight-team standings with just four points, while their opponents for Sunday's game, Mumbai Indians, are lying third with eight points.
With the business end of tournament nearing, time is running out fast for Pune to get a series of wins and return to the top four reckoning.
Come Sunday, Rising would fancy their chances against Mumbai Indians having comfortably defeated them by nine wickets in the opening match.
But it would be easier said than done as Dhoni faces the uphill task of selecting a balanced bowling combination which would deliver results for him.
The absence of its two main players in Faf du Plessis and Kevin Pietersen, who have been ruled out due to injuries, notwithstanding Pune's batting unit has lived upto its reputation with Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith and Dhoni himself delivering the goods for the side. Pune's batting would also be bolstered by the inclusion of Australian Usman Khwaja, who replaced Du Plessis in the squad.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians are on a high with back-to-back victories over Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders in their last two games.
After a jittery start, the Rohit Sharma-led defending champions got their act together to move to the top half of the points table.
Rohit himself has shouldered the responsibility with steady knocks in the company of Ambati Rayudu. But it is big-hitting Kieron Pollard, who has been the star for Mumbai in the last couple of matches.