"It is natural that there will be decline"- Shoaib Akhtar on Kieron Pollard's form in IPL 2022

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar feels Mumbai Indians (MI) should back their retained all-rounder Kieron Pollard despite his poor form. The 34-year-old has scored just 57 runs in five games at a modest strike rate of 121.28.

Many believe MI made a huge mistake by retaining Pollard ahead of other overseas stars like Quinton de Kock and Trent Boult. However, Akhtar doesn't feel the same way as the West Indies star has won many games for Mumbai over the years.

Speaking to Sportskeeda on the show 'SK match ki Baat', Shoaib Akhtar hoped that Pollard would be back to his best and represent MI for a few more seasons. He said:

"Kieron Pollard has won so many games for Mumbai over the past few seasons. So it is natural that there will be a decline. He has earned millions of dollars and I hope he finds his form and plays for 1-2 more years for Mumbai."

"Very crucial for Rohit Sharma to get back in form" - Shoaib Akhtar

However, Shoaib Akhtar is concerned about MI skipper Rohit Sharma's form. The swashbuckling opener has not been at his best at the top of the order and the 46-year-old believes it is hurting the five-time IPL champions.

In five games this season, Sharma has scored just 108 runs at a modest average of 21.60. He looked promising in a couple of innings, but failed to convert his start into a big score. On this, Shoaib Akhtar stated:

"It is very crucial for Rohit Sharma to get back in form. They are just not getting the start that they need so what can be said about that."

MI played with just six batters in their last game and lost the match by 12 runs. With both Sharma and Pollard not firing, it will be interesting to see whether Mumbai show faith in the hard-hitting Tim David and all-rounder Fabian Allen to provide that added depth in batting.