IPL 5: Title favourites battle in league opener

The inaugural match of the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will have the defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday. Sachin Tendulkar has decided to step down as skipper of the Mumbai franchise, handing over the reins to Harbhajan, who helped Mumbai lift their maiden title, the Champions League Twenty20, last year in the absence of an injured Tendulkar.

Owned by Mukesh Ambani, Mumbai have further strengthened their squad by snapping up Mitchell Johnson, Herschelle Gibbs, Pragyan Ojha and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik in this year's players' auction to continue their fight for their first IPL trophy after missing it by a whisker last season. In contrast, the management of MS Dhoni's champion outfit chose to invest their money in allrounder Ravindra Jadeja

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