Watch Telugu Titans vs Tamil Thalaivas live: Can Tendulkar's team start with a win?

The Pro Kabaddi League season 5 gets underway on Friday, July 28, and we have a cracker of a season opener. Veteran Telugu Titans clash swords with debutantes Tamil Thalaivas, co-owned by Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, in Hyderabad.

Two matches are scheduled for the day. While the first one remains the cracking Southern derby, the second one is a cracking Maharashtra derby featuring U Mumba taking on Puneri Paltan.

READ: Full schedule of Pro Kabaddi League 2017

Tamil Thalaivas have pretty much the same owners that Indian Super League teams boost of -- Tendulkar, Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna. Also, South superstar Kamal Haasan remains the brand ambassador of the team.

With so many perfectionists on board, no surprise therefore that the team is looking to making an impact straight away.

The franchise has roped in star raider Ajay Thakur as well as defensive stalwart Amit Hooda. Thakur was one of the stand-out players in India's Kabaddi World Cup 2016 victory.

Thakur going up against Telugu Titans' Rakesh Kumar and veteran Rahul Chaudhari clashing against Amit Hooda will be a treat to watch during the match.

"Every one will agree that at some stage in our life, we must have played kabaddi.

I was there to witness the first PKL match in Mumbai three years ago. The energy and vibe of the stadium were spectacular. When I actually witnessed the agility and speed with which they move, it was just incredible.

As a sportsman, I know what it takes to go out there and perform in front of the whole world."

- Sachin Tendulkar

Full squads

Tamil Thalaivas: Ajay Thakur (C), Bhavani Rajput, Prathap, Rajesh, Anil Kumar, Amit Hooda, Mugilan, Donggeon Lee , Waleed Al Hasani, Chansik Park, Anil Kumar, C. Arun, Sanket Chavan, T. Prabhakaran, M. Thivakaran, Sombir, Vijay Kumar, Vijin Thangadurai, Muruthu M, Vineet Sharma, K. Prapanjan, Sujit Maharana, Darshan J., Sarang Arun Deshmukh, Ananthkumar.

Telugu Titans: Rahul Chaudhari (C), Vishal Bharadwaj, Athul M S, Sombir, Farhad Rahimi Milaghardan, Rakesh Kumar, Rohit Rana, Mohsen Maghsoudloujafari ,Vinod Kumar, Amit Singh Chillar, Vikas Kumar, Vikas, Nilesh Salunke, Vinoth Kumar, Munish, Vikrant, Ankit Malik, Elangeshwaran R.

Match schedule

• Date: July 28
• Time: 8 pm IST
• Venue: Gachibowli Indoor Stadium, Hyderabad

Where to watch live (India)

TV - Star Sports 2/HD

Live streaming - Hotstar

Live scores - Twitter