Bowling against friends will be fun: Bhajji

The Mumbai Indians begin their campaign on Sunday against the Bangalore Royal Challengers at the Wankhede stadium and with their captain Sachin Tendulkar unlikely to play due to injury, the command will fall on some unlikely shoulders - Harbhajan Singh. CNN-IBN spoke to Harbhajan about that challenge and more.

Deputy to Sachin:

I am very happy to be a part of Mumbai Indians. I am looking play in this tournament and it is an honour for me to be the vice-captain of the team. I am sure that all my teammates are waiting for our match to get start. And I am sure if we play to our potential then we would definetely put up some great performances in this tournament.

Role in the team?

Well, my role in the team will be to bowl well and get lots and lots of wickets for the team as well as chip in with some batting.

Playing against friends?

I will be playing against Yuvraj, Dhoni and other guys. It will be fun and exciting to be bowling against them. I know where they hit the ball and they know where I bowl. So, It will be quite challenging to bowl against them because we have been playing with each other for many years and we all know each other's weaknesses and strengths. So, I am looking forward to this challenge.

IPL: A hit or a miss?

I think it will be a major hit as a lot of people have been waiting for this tournament. When we went to South Africa and we won the World Cup, the kind of reception we got after we got back to India was just amazing. From there on, people had been waiting to see other T20 matches.

Can you speak Marathi?

I can't really speak Marathi but if two guys are talking in that language, I should be able to understand 70 per cent of what they are saying. But I am sure after this tournament - after 45 days in Mumbai, I will be half Marathi and half Punjabi.

Can Mumbai win?

We are a very good side. We have got Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shaun Pollock, Ashish Nehra, few Australians in our side. So, it is a very well-balanced team and if we can play to our potential then, we have a good chance to do well in this tournament and if we do so, I will be a very very happy person.

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