Daijiworld Media Network

Abu Dhabi, Apr 16: It's the defending champions Mumbai kicking off proceedings this time against 2012 champions Kolkata. Both teams did well at the auctions and grabbed some exciting talent. Having said all that, it's now time for the real action. Players might have had a lot of history behind them, but it all starts from zero now. Mumbai have dominated Kolkata on 10 out of the previous 12 outings in the history of the tournament and it's quite clear that Mumbai have the psychological edge going into the game.

Teams have used their purse at the auctions held a couple of months ago and have picked, what they feel is the best combination for their side. So that explains that the structure is pretty different from the 6th edition of the league, with players jumping places from one side to another.

The tournament every Indian and perhaps every cricket lover looks forward to is here. It has aided many players to get a foothold in their respective careers and some have even made it big. So this time around, what's in store for us? There's no doubt that there's going to nothing short of entertainment on this platform. Hello and a warm welcome to the 2014 edition of the Indian T20 League. We will witness 60 games, 20 in UAE from today until April 30, before the carnival returns to India on May 2.

Kolkata have won the toss and have opted to bat

ambhir: 'We have a lot of young talented players in the side and we are looking forward to do well in the tournament. I think we have covered all bases and it's time that we deliver on the cricket field. We are going to have a bat, looks a good wicket, we want to put runs on the board. Morne, Sunil, Shakib and Jacques are the four foreigners who are playing. We are pretty strong in the bowling department.'

Rohit: 'It feels great to be the defending champions. It's a very exicting place to be playing cricket. We had a good preparation in the build-up to the tournament. We've got quite a few new faces and we got here a week ago to get to know about each other. We were looking to bowl as we were not sure what to expect from this wicket. Everyone is raring to go. We are playing 5 batters, 2 all-rounders and 4 bowlers.'

Match Preview:

Team Profiles:

Mumbai

Defending Champions, Winners of the Champions League, perpetually in everyone's books to go all the way in the tournament, and without their talisman, Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai come into this year's tournament with perhaps the most pressure and tons of eyes following their progress, or the lack of it.

Strengths: With the likes of Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh et al., the defending champions have always boasted of a strong bowling line-up. Add to these two, proven performers like Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Krishmar Santokie among others and the side has a department that can win games on their own. This apart, they have the likes of Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard to fall back on and get them a few overs in between, leaving captain Rohit Sharma spoilt for choice should a front liner be out injured or have a bad day.

Their batting department too boasts of some huge players, with their captain leading the charges. The presence of the extremely experienced and extremely reliable Michael Hussey at the top of the order will be sure to calm some nerves in the dressing room, while Pollard and Corey Anderson will provide the necessary fireworks for the defending champions when they need it.

Weakness: Even with the presence of some massive hitters in the line-up, Mumbai's batting looks uncharacteristically fragile. The onus lies heavily on Michael Hussey to provide them with a solid start, and if he fails Rohit Sharma's innings gains a lot more significance. The middle-order doesn't really have a batsman capable of grafting through and holding one end up to let the big-hitters take cente stage and this could prove to be decisive in the long run.

Opportunities: The Chennai are the only side to have succesfully defended the T20 League trophy. Now, with Mumbai boasting of a side that can at least compete with the likes of Bangalore and CHN among others, they see themselves with the odeal opportunity to do what MS Dhoni and his lads did in 2011.

Threats: Except for the Chennai, all other teams that have gone on to win the League have suffered a massive dip in form the next year. Whether that was because of the struggle to deal with the rise in expectations of pure coincidence, it's impossible to say - but Mumbai will surely not want to go that route.

Kolkata:

Champions in the 2012 edition of the Indian T20 League, the Kolkata franchise has been one of the most successful and profitable teams across the first six editions of the tournament. They have seen the big highs, but have also have ridden over massive lows. One of the few teams that do not have any sort of blemishes off-field, the management and the coaches will be looking forward to another victorious campaign at the hustling.

They say a good start is half job done, and Kolkata have made the ideal start, bringing back Wasim Akram as the bowling mentor while appointing W V Raman as the batting adviser. Trevor Bayliss, who was at the helm when they won the tournament in 2012, remains the head coach. Venky Mysore, the COO and Managing Director of the franchise remains a vital pillar, bridging the gap between the owners and the team management.

Strengths: A well organized team, Kolkata has depth in all departments of the game. They retained Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Narine before the auctions, used the right to match card to snaffle all-rounders, Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan and bought utility players such as Robin Uthappa, Morne Morkel, Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav. They also managed to buy back all-rounders, Ryan ten Doeschate and Shakib Al Hasan. With a well settled unit, and on pitches that will aid their style of cricket, Kolkata will believe they have it in them to compete with the rest of the franchises.

Weakness: Lack of impact players may well turn out to be crucial during crunch situations. While the team boasts of several big names, they do not anyone who can throw the gauntlet back towards the opposition. Yusuf Pathan was disappointing last time around and it was a surprise that they bought him back using the right to match card. Skipper Gambhirs form is indifferent while Kallis has reached a semi-retirement stage. The franchise paid big money to strengthen their bowling line-up, but barring Sunil Narine, none of the others have proved to be consistent on the big stage.

Opportunities: Performances in the tournament count for a lot and a few Indian hopefuls in the team will know it more than others. A solid show in the upcoming tournament will not just enhance their reputations, but will also benefit the franchise immensely. Also the pitch conditions, both in the UAE as well as back home in Kolkata are expected to be to the liking of the team management.

Threats: While they can be no room for complaints about the scheduling, Kolkata face a tough set of fixtures in the first leg of the tourney in the UAE. Up against some of the top favourites, any slip up can very well sap their energies and demoralize the team even before they get back to India for the remaining games.

Teams:

Mumbai (From): Rohit Sharma(c), Aditya Tare(w), Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Lasith Malinga, Michael Hussey, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Corey Anderson, Josh Hazlewood, Chidhambaram Gautam, Sushant Marathe, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Jalaj Saxena, Apoorv Wankhade, Marchant de Lange, Krishmar Santokie, Ben Dunk, Pawan Suyal

Kolkata (From): Gautam Gambhir(c), Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa(w), Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Morne Morkel, Piyush Chawla, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Manvinder Bisla, Ryan ten Doeschate, Kuldeep Yadav, Veer Pratap Singh, Chris Lynn, Andre Russell, SS Mandal, Pat Cummins, Debabrata Das