The much-anticipated 16th season of the Indian Premier League will commence on March 31, fighting all ten franchises against one another in a thrilling race to the desired title. Only seven teams have successfully become champions in the past 15 years of IPL, with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings being the most prominent.
Four teams have won the IPL title once: Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, and the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals. The Royals almost won the IPL for the second time last year. On the other hand, no IPL trophy has been grabbed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants, the four active teams in the league.
So, who may win this year's IPL? Let’s find out some of the former players’ predictions and our predictions about the probable winner of IPL 2023.
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Top Favorite Teams Who Can Win IPL 2023
As the tournament progresses, predictions can no longer remain the same. We may take an educated guess based on a team's performance, but nothing is certain. With that note, we have come out with four teams with a great chance of winning the IPL 2023.
Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans, the winner of IPL 2022, had a very consistent roster, using fewer players than any other side. They had one of the toughest and most well-rounded bowling squads in the tournament, with a variety of options to choose from in any situation. Their death-overs economy rate was the lowest of the competition, at an astonishing 9.6.
Hardik Pandya, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatiya provided invaluable assistance to the team, their persistence in difficult moments earning them victories in unlikely circumstances. These players will be an asset for Gujarat this year. In addition to that, they have bought some highly skilled players such as Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little, and Kane Williamson.
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Kane Williamson was drafted in by the Gujarat-based side to boost the top order, although questions regarding his health and run rate remain.
Gujarat’s possible starting lineup may look like this:
Shubhman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatiya, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph
Gujarat players who can change the momentum:
Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Jayant Yadav.
At the Wankhede Stadium, where bowlers can take advantage of the swinging and seaming conditions in the early stages, Gujarat Titans may be drawn to utilize Mavi, Dayal, or Sangwan as influential individuals based on the competition. Meanwhile, Jayant could be a great help on pitches that are slower, particularly in the Powerplay, as he could provide economical overs.
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Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians supporters would likely prefer to put last season aside when they finished at the bottom of the standings. However, they have been able to acquire the services of two very promising players, Dewald Brevis, and Tilak Verma.
The IPL auction 2023 saw a strong bidding war for Cameron Green, who was eventually acquired by Mumbai Indians for 17.50 crores. With Jofra Archer back in the team and forming a bowling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians have a strong attack that can challenge any batting lineup.
Mumbai Indians’ possible starting lineup may look like this:
Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Cameron Green, Jofra Archer, Hrithik Shokeen, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Jason Behrendorff.
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Mumbai players who can change the momentum:
Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, and Vishnu Vinod.
The fact that MI re-signed Piyush Chawla in the auction pointed to one thing: the desire to use his leg-spin for four overs as a game-changing element, something that might not have been possible otherwise.
Arjun and Arshad could be of great benefit when encountering right-arm fast bowlers or batting orders vulnerable to left-arm bowlers. Vishnu Vinod, a powerful hitter, can be employed in close matches where teams are required to bolster their batting.
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Chennai Super Kings
Apparently, it is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last IPL. So, he will surely try to make it memorable by winning the tournament. Chennai, four-time IPL title holders, had a disastrous campaign last year, limping to a ninth-place finish with only four victories.
Chennai supporters are eagerly anticipating the return of the traditional home-and-away format this year, hoping their team will be stronger in their home ground Chepauk, restoring its former glory and making it a solid stronghold.
The team invested 16.25 crore in acquiring Ben Stokes, who will bring both tangible and intangible benefits to the squad. There is even speculation that MS Dhoni might be handing over the captaincy reigns to Stokes.
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Chennai Super Kings' possible starting lineup may look like this:
Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dubey, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Mahesh Theekshana, and Mukesh Chaudhary
Chennai players who can change the momentum:
Simarjit Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Prashant Solanki, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
It should not come as a surprise if Dhoni opts to replace Prashant Solanki as a game-changer, even though Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja are already in the XI at Chepauk, where spin is often used to attack batsmen.
On the other hand, Simarjit and Deshpande are likely to be taken out of the game if any of the bowlers give up too many runs. Hangargekar is likely to serve as a pinch hitter, willing to sacrifice his wicket for the team's benefit and swing his bat hard when needed.
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Rajasthan Royals
IPL’s first-season winner and IPL 2022’s runners-up, Rajasthan Royals, will certainly put their best to bring the trophy back after 15 years. Nevertheless, they were very close last year. Despite their amazing performance last year, there was a definite imbalance on their side. To accommodate five true bowlers, they were always lacking a batting contributor.
In order to address the problem, the Royals acquired Jason Holder, whose presence alongside Trent Boult is sure to have a substantial impact on bouncy surfaces. His powerful hitting also makes him an integral part of the team.
Rajasthan Royals' possible starting lineup may look like this: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Paddikal, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmeyer, Jason Holder, Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
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Rajasthan players who can change the momentum:
Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, and Akash Vashist.
Considering Kuldeep's speed and the shortage of competent choices in their team, Rajasthan may decide to utilize him as a lethal death bowler through the Impact Player rule. Rajasthan will be able to keep the middle overs in check if they call on Navdeep or Murugan Ashwin, depending on the nature of the pitch; the former as a hit-the-deck bowler and the latter as a spinner. Vashist is a left-hander; he will be especially useful in countering the opposition's strategies.
So, among the four teams, who do you think has the best chance to take the IPL trophy to their home?
Well, it is tough to predict this very early. But, considering the facts and their players' profile, Gujarat may keep the title to their home this year.
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