New Delhi, Delhi, India

Minutes ahead of the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 opener, the two teams, Mumbai and Chennai, have been dealt with a huge blow.

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Yellow Brigade's Faf du Plessis and blue jersey's Pat Cummins will miss the first match due to injury and exertion respectively.

“Faf won’t play tomorrow. He’s nursing a couple of injuries he’s had throughout the summer. We think that its in his and our best interest to give him a little bit of time to get that right. His finger as well. So, as I say, its little beaten from that series which was tough for them,” Fleming said.

While Plessis was expected to be Chennai's dependent player in the opener, Cummins was Mumbai's card to restrict opponents to a low score.

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Plessis will miss today's match due to an injured finger sustained after a blow from Pat Cummins during the recently concluded Wanderers Test. 

While Cummins is still recovering after all his Ashes and South African exertions.

Two big names are missing from either team, but there's no shortage of talent that will be on show.