IPL Schedule 2016: Live Stream, TV Info and Predictions for Upcoming Fixtures

Defending champions Mumbai Indians get the 2016 Indian Premier League under way against new franchise Rising Pune Supergiants at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

Gujarat Lions are the other new side filling out the eight, as usual contenders Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will be absent from this year's tournament.

A fast start is not essential in the IPL if a team is to go all the way to glory, but Mumbai will definitely be looking to start off on the right foot in front of their home crowd ahead of seven weeks of big-hitting action.

Here are the upcoming fixtures for the first week, along with predictions, live streaming information and a closer examination of the opening clash.

Date	Time (BST/IST)	Fixture	Venue	Prediction
April 9	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Mumbai Indians vs Rising Pune Supergiants	Mumbai	MI win
April 10	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Daredevils	Kolkata	KKR win
April 11	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Kings XI Punjab vs Gujarat Lions	Mohali	KXIP win
April 12	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad	Bengaluru	RCB win
April 13	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians	Kolkata	MI win
April 14	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Gujarat Lions vs Rising Pune Supergiants	Rajkot	GL win
April 15	3:30 p.m/8 p.m.	Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab	Delhi	DD win

Click here for the full tournament schedule. Watch all matches live on Sky Sports and live stream via Sky Go (UK only).

Mumbai Indians vs. Rising Pune Supergiants

IPL 9 could barely have hoped for a better opener. Not only is Rohit Sharma's Mumbai side packed with quality players like Jos Buttler, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and Corey Anderson, but the Pune lineup has a lot of the CSK about it.

Indeed, MS Dhoni is the captain, and he will be looking to bounce back having failed to inspire his India side to glory at the recent World Twenty20.

The skipper is joined by another Super Kings veteran in Ravi Ashwin and former Rajasthan Royal Ajinkya Rahane, as well as high-profile overseas players like Kevin Pietersen and Steve Smith.

When it comes to T20, batting is the high-profile discipline, but the bowling units for each side will be crucial in deciding who wins the first match of the tournament.

Pune Supergiants have the inimitable Ashwin to call upon, and his control and wicket-taking ability will be vital to keeping Mumbai's run rate down.

Dhoni will also have seam duo Ishant Sharma and Ishwar Pandey—another former CSK player—at his disposal.

Meanwhile, the vastly experienced Malinga will be key for Mumbai later in the tournament, but he is struggling with fitness at the moment, per the Indians Twitter feed:

However, they have a number of strong all-rounders in the side who can turn their arm over to great effect—the likes of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Anderson—while front-line bowlers Vinay Kumar and Harbhajan will be relied upon to take the majority of the wickets.

As indeed will 22-year-old Jasprit Bumrah, who impressed recently at the World T20, per cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle:

Bumrah has the consistency, the talent and the variation—including an excellent slower ball—to cause even talents like Dhoni, Smith, Faf du Plessis and Pietersen problems.

The key from both bowling attacks will be aggression, as noted by Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma:

Given that it is the first game of the tournament, there is no knockout pressure just yet, but there is the chance to lay down a significant marker.

With huge talent on show on both sides, it is sure to be an entertaining and tight encounter, with Mumbai's home advantage possibly set to give them the edge.