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IPL 2023 begins with a Group B clash between the Gujarat Titans and the Chennai Super Kings on Friday, March 31, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The 16th edition of the IPL will see ten teams vying for the title, with the two new sides, the Gujarat Titans and the Lucknow Supergiants, entering the league last season. That resulted in a change in the league’s format, with teams getting divided into two groups and the number of group-stage games increasing from 56 to 70.
Having already looked at the predicted playing XIs of the Group A teams, let’s now inspect the likely playing XIs of the teams in Group B.
Also Read: IPL 2023: Predicting the Playing XI of all the Group A Teams
Chennai Super Kings
After a sub-par season that saw them finish 9th on the points table, the Chennai Super Kings will want to get back to winning matches consistently, and they seem to have the team to achieve that.
Ben Stokes was their big-name signing at the IPL 2023 Auction, with the Englishman joining CSK for a sum of ₹16.25 Crores. The higher the bats, the more effective he is in T20 cricket, and that could mean Devon Conway makes way for him.
Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and Shivam Dube will all have the license to go out there and play attacking cricket, with plenty of batting to come for CSK. MS Dhoni should use himself as a floater in the middle order.
Death bowling has been an issue for them in the last couple of seasons, and they don’t seem to have addressed it properly. Mahesh Theekshana is the only bowler who seems comfortable bowling at the death, with Proteas pacer Sisanda Magala also likely to make the playing XI.
U-19 star Rajvardhan Hangargekar could finally make his CSK debut and provide an injection of pace, with left-arm pacer Mukesh Chaudhary injured.
Chennai Super Kings’ Predicted XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C/WK), Deepak Chahar, Mahesh Theekshana, Sisanda Magala, and Simarjeet Singh/ Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB has been the most consistent side in the last three seasons of the IPL and is the only team to make the playoffs in all three seasons. Mike Hesson and the rest of the support staff have built a strong side and have backed their players, not tinkering much with the combination.
Rajat Patidar’s injury could leave RCB sweating over the No.3 position until he returns, with Anuj Rawat likely to replace him if he’s unfit. Glenn Maxwell’s form on his return to injury is another question mark.
Apart from that, there are plenty of positives for Faf Du Plessis’ side, with a well-oiled, potent bowling attack, with good backups. Josh Hazlewood could miss the start of the season with an Achilles injury, but RCB has Reece Topley to cover for him.
The in-form Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga will be the players to watch out for in the bowling department, with Harshal Patel taking care of the death bowling.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Predicted XI:
Faf Du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar/Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood/Reece Topley, Harshal Patel, and Mohammed Siraj.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
After poor seasons back to back, SRH seems to have built a powerful squad ahead of IPL 2023. After letting their X-Factor Rashid Khan go ahead of the IPL 2022 Auction, SRH struggled to control games, with their spin bowling becoming an area of concern.
However, they have revamped their side ahead of IPL 2023 and look like serious contenders for the title. In Mayank Agarwal, SRH has found an ideal Indian opener to partner Abhishek Sharma, with the explosive Rahul Tripathi at No. 3.
A power-packed middle-order batting lineup follows, with skipper Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, and wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen all entering this season in terrific form.
A fit-again Washington Sundar will provide crucial balance to the side, with Adil Rashid likely to partner him in the spin-bowling department. Mayank Markande and Akeal Hosein are decent backups.
Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and T Natarajan should be the side’s main pacers, but they have Marco Jansen and Kartik Tyagi to rotate with.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Predicted XI:
Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (C), Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Adil Rashid, Umran Malik, T Natarajan/ Kartik Tyagi.
Gujarat Titans
The defending champions, Gujarat Titans, will be pretty confident of their chances of retaining their title, although it’s never easy in the IPL. Hardik Pandya’s side let go of two of their overseas players in the trade window to KKR, and that freed up some money to spend at the auction.
While their first-choice XI was more or less set, they made some shrewd signings to bolster what looks like a solid unit. Kane Williamson provides that glue to the innings at No.3 and should replace an ineffective Matthew Wade.
Rashid Khan’s batting prowess allows them to bat him at No.7 and play an extra bowler. R Sai Kishore should be the side’s second spinner, with Shami, Alzarri Joseph, and Shivam Mavi set to be the three main seamers.
Joshua Little, Odean Smith, and Mohit Sharma offer seam-bowling backups, with KS Bharat, Sai Sudharsan, and Wade providing injury cover for the top order.
Gujarat Titans’ Predicted XI:
Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson, Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami, and Yash Dayal/Shivam Mavi.
Punjab Kings
Year after year, PBKS have revamped their side to little effect, with something or the other going wrong for them every season. Experts and pundits aren’t that positive about Shikhar Dhawan’s side’s chances with a lack of Indian depth in their side.
After blitzing records to sign Sam Curran for a whopping ₹18.50 Crores, PBKS’ overseas roster looked like one of the strongest in the league, and while they’ve lost Jonny Bairstow to injury, that still remains one of their strengths.
Their pace bowling combination of Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh is very effective at the death, and with Curran joining them, PBKS’ bowling troubles are somewhat alleviated. Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar should be the team’s main spinners, with Liam Livingstone also capable of rolling his arm over.
PBKS could also call upon Sikandar Raza on more spin-friendly tracks to provide the team with more stability with the bat and a quality spin-bowling option.
However, the issue lies in the batting order, with Shikhar Dhawan the only strong Indian presence. That puts plenty of pressure on the likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, and Shahrukh Khan to deliver the goods, and that’s not ideal.
PBKS has the firepower in their ranks, but unless their lesser-known Indian players step up and perform consistently, it should be another season without making the playoffs for them.
Punjab Kings’ Predicted XI:
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, and Arshdeep Singh.
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