Defending champions Mumbai Indians, captained by Rohit Sharma, will square off against 2012 winners Kolkata Knight Riders, led by veteran opener Gautam Gambhir, in the event-opener at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here on Wednesday. The high-profile clash, which seems perfect to kick off the tournament, Mumbai are slight favourites even though the impressive balance that KKR seems to have attained after some smart buys in the players’ auction. KKR, which retained just two players from last season’s team (Gambhir and spinner Sunil Narine), seems quite solid with the inclusion of some value players such as Australian express bowler Pat Cummins and Indian pacer Umesh Yadav. Fitness-permitting, both of them can make a huge difference to the side’ fortunes even though the batting would continue to rely heavily on Gambhir, veteran Jacques Kallis and the off-colour Yousuf Pathan.