After defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders eased to victory in the IPL-6 opener against Delhi Daredevils, two more heavyweights will slug it out for honors Thursday, when Royal Challengers Bangalore host the Mumbai Indians.
Mumbai were dealt a blow though after their premier fast bowler Lasith Malinga was ruled out of the match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with a sore back.
"Lasith is going to miss out tomorrow (Thursday) night," Ponting told reporters. "He has a sore back and the problem is just lingering around for a while. So, we've decided to keep him back in Sri Lanka until April 5.
"It's disappointing not to have him in the first game. It would've have been nice to have the leading T20 fast bowler in the world but that's not the case. We wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he'll be OK for the next game."
Ponting has been named captain of the Mumbai side and the former Aussie skipper believes he has plenty of experience around him to give him support when needed.
"At the Mumbai Indians we have John Wright, a successful India coach, Anil Kumble, a successful India captain and player and someone like me who has vast experience having played a lot of cricket in all conditions," he said. "So, we've put together a really strong leadership group around the team. We also have a lot of experienced cricketers like Sachin and Harbhajan."
"This is something that's really exciting for me as well. Luckily I had the chance to captain Tasmania and lead Australia for a long time. I've got a really good idea about what makes good teams successful and they're all the things I'll be bringing to the table here in Mumbai.
"I will take information from Anil and John -- they're two other very senior members around our group. When it comes to selection, all three will work out our final XIs but both Anil and John have told me that they want me to be absolutely comfortable with the final XI that I take on to the ground."
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