The 16th edition of the Indian premier league is here. IPL is the most popular T20I league in the world. Beginning on March 31, the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 will be played for almost 2 months.
The defending champion Gujarat Titans will take on the Chennai Super Kings in the Narendra Modi Stadium at 7:30 IST. The final league game of the IPL 2023, between RCB and GT, will be contested on May 21 in Bengaluru, capping off the 16th edition of the competition. During the league stage, each of the 10 teams will play 7 home games and 7 away games.
A total of 70 league-stage games, including 18 doubleheaders, will be played in the 16th season at twelve different locations. The locations for the IPL 2023 playoffs and finals will shortly be revealed. It is really difficult to make any IPL prediction this year as all the teams are looking extremely competitive.
Let us have a look at the teams which might qualify for the playoffs:
Rajasthan Royals
The Rajasthan Royals, led by Sanju Samson, who won the IPL’s inaugural season and finished second in IPL 2022, will give it their all to bring the diamond back after a 15-year absence. Rajasthan Royals finished in a different position in the IPL 2022 standings. Rajasthan surprised everyone with their consistent performance throughout the season after a long period. The club is favored this season as well and has a chance to advance in the playoffs.
Chennai Super Kings
It seems that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final IPL season will be this one. In order to make the IPL championship remarkable, he will strive to win it five times. Four-time IPL champion Chennai Super Kings struggled terribly in 2017, finishing ninth with just four victories. For IPL 2023, the home-and-away format will return, which will help CSK and offer them a competitive edge over other teams.
Mumbai Indians
The Mumbai Indians (MI), who had previously won the IPL five times under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, had a subpar season in 2022. The club didn’t play at its best last season and dropped a number of games. This time also it will be quite difficult for them in the absence of their main bowler Jasprit Bumrah. According to BCCI, Bumrah will miss entire IPL 2023. But, it appears MI are eager to change their fortunes in the IPL 2023 based on the number of Indian players who have been flown to England for early preparation.Â
Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans, led by Hardik Pandya, are the defending champions and are strong favorites to proceed to the playoff round. The team led by Hardik Pandya had a terrific season, finishing first and moving on to the playoffs by winning 10 of their first 14 league contests. They have a well-rounded team that has the ability to alter the game’s momentum at any time. The GT opening tandems of Miller, Gill, Wade, and Saha are the kind of players who can build a solid base for the team. Moreover, the addition of Kane Williamson makes the squad even more complete. They got the Kiwi skipper for a very low price during the auction time. On the other hand, skilled bowlers in Rashid Khan, Md Shami, and Joseph can be tough to negotiate once they are on song.
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