IPL 2023 Season Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad will be the team to watch out for

The new IPL season is upon us and the mix of old formula as well as new experiments adds a fresh dimension to the league. The tournament is going to return to the old format of home and away games, which has not been the case in the past 3 years. It really puts more pressure on newer teams – Gujarat Titans (GT) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) – as they will be playing at home for the first time. The level of expectations has risen because of their last season’s performance. All the other teams have tasted the experience of playing in front of a home crowd but for these 2 new teams, it will be something they quickly need to adapt to. It will be interesting to see how they deal with these new challenges.

The Home and Away format is going to suit some sides more than others. Chennai Super Kings will benefit the most from it because of the way they have formed their squad. Their bowling resources suit the conditions at home. Another big challenge that returns is lots of air travelling. Teams will need to be extra cautious and look after players. They need to make sure the niggles get healed quickly and the recovery period is not long.

Then there is a new addition in the form of the Impact Player. In my view, the Impact Player rule is a good change. I am not convinced that this is something that is going to work necessarily everywhere in the world. But I think it will work well in India because of the passion and fascination of the game here. But elsewhere, adding too much to the game can only complicate things for the viewers. However, I don’t think it will do the same in IPL. The coaches will have to be on the ball to make the best use of the Impact Player.

The team to watch out for is Sunrisers Hyderabad

What impresses me about SRH is their domestic talent. When you get a strong top order that consists of local players, also a solid bowling lineup filled with domestic talent, it solves many problems. When you add overseas stars to this mix, what you get is a strong franchise in IPL. That’s the case with Sunrisers. They have Abhishek Sharma and Mayank Agarwal up at the top. I feel Mayank is going to have a good IPL this year. Then you have captain Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen and Glenn Philips. SRH have got batters with incredible strike rates in the middle order. With the ball, you have Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik, who I love watching. Washington Sundar is a terrific bowler. Fazalhaq Farooqi is some talent and will be exciting to watch. Adil Rashid is also there. Overall, SRH have their bases covered almost everywhere. IPL’s top 3 or 4 teams aside, I believe it is SRH who will be exciting to watch this season.

RCB should look to open with Kohli and Faf

RCB’s bowling, to me, is their strength led by Mohammed Siraj. Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga are there already and then you have Reece Topley, who is a great T20I bowler, joining them. I think Topley and David Willey will be in a stiff fight for places. RCB’s batting depth might be a slight issue for them. In my view, they should open the batting with Kohli. I would like to see him open the batting and set the tempo of the innings with Faf at the top.

CSK should make it to playoffs

I believe Chennai are going to get to the playoffs. They will be playing at home with all the spin options. They have got Ravindra Jadeja, who is a brilliant all-rounder. Maheesh Theekshana, who played a major role last season. Moeen Ali, can come and bowl a bit. Ben Stokes is there. He will probably play as a batter who may bowl a bit later in the tournament. The top order has both ice and fire with Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad opening. Shivam Dube is ever improving. CSK look sorted under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

For Mumbai Indians, important that Rohit Sharma fires

Mumbai Indians will be hoping to fight back strongly from two poor back-to-back seasons. The fact that they have no Jasprit Bumrah is a big blow to them. It is a massive loss. Agree that Jofra Archer is a gain, but I will still say that it is going to be tough for Mumbai without Bumrah to get through to the playoffs. Cameron Green is likely to make a big impact, probably more with the bat than ball. But it will be interesting to see how they make the balance right as they need to get in Dewald Brevis and Tristan Stubbs in the playing 11 too somehow . All eyes will be on Rohit Sharma too as he has not had a great season with MI for a while. If he has a 500-plus run tournament, then they have got a chance. Rohit needs to fire to cover the lack of spin options. Realistically, their main heading act, without Bumrah, will be their batting and Rohit needs to ensure he inspires his team with his batting. Crucial season for Suryakumar Yadav. I am expecting him to bounce back after tough series vs Australia and Mumbai should use him up the order rather than a finisher.

Watch out for Punjab Kings too

Another interesting team to watch out for will be Punjab Kings. Prabhsimran Singh is an exciting talent right at the top of the order. Sam Curran’s all-round skills are a big plus. PBKS’s bowling lineup is awesome. I am a huge fan of Arshdeep Singh. Sikandar Raza, a brilliant finisher and a brilliant fielder, can chip in with overs if needed. They have got Kagiso Rabada’s experience and Rahul Chahar’s leg-spin. They are surely going to miss Jonny Bairstow but the real focus will be on captain Shikhar Dhawan. Can he lead the troops well? Can he contribute at the top of the order? If he can, then don’t discount PBKS. Watch out for Nathan Ellis too. I am a big fan of him and expect him to have a great IPL.

Gujarat Titans need Hardik to shine again

It is going to be a tougher year for GT as the expectations have doubled up. Hardik Pandya must be as good a leader as he was last season if GT are to win again. I think he needs to bowl his all of overs too, which is going to put a lot of pressure on his fitness levels. Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan and David Miller are all match-winners. They let Lockie Ferguson go but they have still got a solid bowling lineup led by Mohammed Shami.

Top order batting a worry for KKR

KKR’s top order needs to be outstanding if they want to qualify for playoffs. Shreyas Iyer’s injury pushed them on back foot. We still don’t know how much of contribution he is going to make in this IPL. Shreyas’ unavailability is going to put more pressure on interim captain Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer, who is expected to bat now at 3. Their strength lies with the likes of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, the veterans who have done the job in the past. They have plenty of options in bowling with Shardul Thakur, Ferguson and Tim Southee forming the fastbowling outfit. But I still feel the top order needs to be at its best to give them any chance of going through.

DC need to sort out keeping problem

DC will be without Rishabh Pant. David Warner, who replaces him as captain, will do an excellent job as the captain, in my view. We have seen over the years how IPL gets the best out of him. The top 3 of DC, one assumes, will be Prithvi Shaw, Warner and Mitchell Marsh. That is as good as it gets. The biggest challenge for DC will be to manage the middle order without Pant. They can go with Phil Salt as the keeper but if they do that, they will restrict Rilee Rossouw or Rovman Powell. With Anrich Nortje expected to play, playing both Salt and either Rossow or Powell will be difficult. That’s why I feel DC will play Sarfaraz Khan as keeper to open things up for Rossouw or Powell.

Higher expectations from LSG

LSG will have more challenges this year than last season. They reached the playoffs in IPL 2022 and expectations must have risen. They are well managed by Andy Flower, who is a very smart coach. The top-order looks good. But I still feel it is very overseas-heavy. That could work for them. But it is always nice if your top order includes players from India. Mark Wood is in  there too with his pace this year. Avesh Khan was fantastic for them last year. Watch out for Ayush Badoni, who showed glimpses of his serious talent last season.

Expect Rajasthan Royals to do well again

I would be very surprised if RR don’t make the playoffs. Prasidh Krishna is not there, which is a huge loss for them. But they still have a strong core of players. Chahal and Ashwin take care of the spin department. Trent Boult leads the pace attack. He will be well rested as he is not playin g a lot of international cricket these days. Adam Zampa is there. Jos Buttler with the top at the bat will be crucial. But he will need support of other top order batters around him to do well this season. Sanju Samson is a fantastic cricketer and leader and led well last season. He will be expected to take them to another final.