Former world number one Novak Djokovic, who is making a comeback after a six-month layoff due to a tennis elbow injury, is ranked 14 in the first major of the season.
Top-ranked Nadal will start his campaign against Victor Estrella Burgos, has a potential fourth-round match against John Isner, and has No. 3-ranked Grigor Dimitrov in the same half of the draw, which was held on Thursday at Margaret Court Arena.
There was not much of a difference in the two teams as the winners won 70 points to the 64 of Bopanna and Roger- Vasselin.
Muguruza later has withdrawn from her next match because of a right thigh injury, handing a walkover to her quarterfinal opponent Daria Gavrilova.
Bhambri, with an ATP ranking of 121 and ranked 15th in the qualifiers, for the second time in his career defeated Canadian Davis Cupper B. Schnur 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Muguruza entered the fourth day of the tournament as the only female seeded player remaining following second-seeded Venus Williams' second-round loss on Tuesday.
Wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm to protect his troublesome elbow, Djokovic dominated the fifth-ranked Thiem 6-1, 6-4 on Wednesday in an exhibition match at the Kooyong Classic tournament.
Kerber, who dropped to No.22 following a poor 2017 season, needed to save two match points before beating Lucie Safarova in three sets on Monday.
Many of Paes' contemporaries have become coaches, while, many of his juniors have already hung racquets but this Indian legend's hunger for tennis is far from satiated.
The former No. 1-ranked Murray, a three-time major winner, has not played a competitive match since a quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon last July.
Nadal's readiness for the first Grand Slam of the year had been in doubt after the top-ranked Spaniard pulled out of an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi and from Brisbane International to start the 2018 season.
US Open champion Sloane Stephens lost her first match of the year, beaten 6-3, 6-0 by Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi and is short of match practice ahead of the Australian Open which starts in Melbourne next week.
Azarenka hasn't competed anywhere since Wimbledon, where she lost to Simona Halep in the fourth round on July 10.
It was a fourth title for the enigmatic 22-year-old Australian, and his first since 2016.
Switzerland last won the Hopman Cup in 2001 when Federer teamed with Martina Hingis.
In a sensational turnaround, the unseeded Frenchman toppled the world number six from Croatia 1-6 6-3 6-2 in a gripping semifinal.
Bopanna and left-handed Jeevan were up against Gilles Simon and two-time Grand Slam champion Pierre-Hugues Herbert where they lost 3-6, 5-7 in one hour and 10 minutes.
Serena's withdrawal comes less than 24 hours after fellow former world No.1 Andy Murray withdrew from the men's event with a chronic hip injury.
Top seed Cilic from Croatia outplayed eighth seed Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-2 in 64 minutes while Anderson survived a mighty scare from a dogged Mikhail Kukushkin before edging him 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2.
Pliskova opened last season with a victory in Brisbane and rose to the No. 1 ranking in July before finishing 2017 at the number four spot.
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