IPL 2016 First Match: Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants Date, Time, Venue, Online Tickets

Cricketing action in the 2016 edition of the IPL kicks off on 9 April with the opening match between defending champions Mumbai Indians and one of the two new franchises, Rising Pune Supergiants.

The match will be played at the home ground of 2015 IPL winners, the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, and promises to be a real blockbuster. The Pune team may be a new one, but the players who are part of its roster are among the most consistent performers in the history of IPL cricket. Some of the best examples are skipper MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin and Faf du Plessis.

Mumbai, on the other hand, are in the top bracket in terms of teams that have played in the IPL as they already have 2 titles under their belt. They will be looking to get their campaign on track early with a victory in their very first match of the season.

While the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium is going to back the home side completely, there will certainly be some amount of support for Team India players in the Pune side like Dhoni, Rahane and Ashwin. The visitors will be looking to gain early momentum by picking up a win against the title holders in their own backyard.

It has been a long season for the international cricketers and as such, they may take some time to settle into the hustle and bustle of the IPL. This provides the well-rested players an opportunity to make an impression and establish themselves in their respective teams.

The opening game of the 2016 IPL may well turn out to be a high-scoring encounter considering the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium. Throughout the recently concluded World Twenty20, the 22-yard strip at the ground produced matches where both teams scored big runs and even 200-plus targets were chased down.

Overall, the encounter between the Mumbai Indians and the Rising Pune Supergiants on Saturday appears to be a mouth-watering prospect.