Welcome to the coverage of the opening match of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata, on Wednesday.

KKR would be relieved at having their strike bowler -- mystery spinner Sunil Narine cleared for the IPL after getting a clean chit from the BCCI on Sunday.

They would be looking to successfully defend their title and in the process capture their third IPL crown.

On the other hand, Mumbai, who won the trophy in 2013, would be looking to make a strong start to the tournament.

Mumbai Indians boast of some hard-hitting players in Corey Anderson and Kieron Pollard, while captain Rohit Sharma and new signing Aaron Finch are capable of destroying any bowling attack on their day. While Lasith Malinga and R Vinay Kumar will lead the pace line-up for Mumbai, the home side will have Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav who will look to carry forward their good showing in the World Cup.

Kolkata's batting is equally strong and tested with last year's top run-getter Robin Uthappa (660 runs) leading the brigade.

Uthappa continued his good run in domestic cricket for Karnataka as he finished top in the Ranji Trophy run scoring charts with 912 runs from 11 matches and the explosive opener along with skipper Gautam Gambhir would look to give the perfect start before the likes of Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav take charge.

Yusuf Pathan may not have been in the best of form in the recent past but given his credentials to win a match single-handedly in subcontinent conditions, the senior Baroda pro is worth a bet.