IPL 2023: The hype for the Indian Premier League (IPL) has begun to build as we are just a couple of weeks away from the grand opening of the gala Indian T20 tournament. The IPL has catered for its fanbase quite pleasingly since its inception in 2008 and it has lived to the fullest of the expectations. The T20 extravaganza will be back on the Television sets once again as 2023 is inching closer to March. Down below is everything you need to know about IPL 2023 Winner Prediction.
The last edition of the IPL had a tinge of freshness in it as the cricketing world saw the growth of the IPL from 8 to 10 IPL teams. Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants made their entry in the tournament and quite surprisingly, the two new teams ended up doing far better than the perennial champions of the Indian Premier League.
Gujarat Titans (GT) led by all-rounder Hardik Pandya defied all the odds and went on to become the champions of the IPL 2022 defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. Meanwhile, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) led by KL Rahul did exceedingly well to make their entry to the playoffs.
The upcoming season of the tournament, IPL 2023, will be a leap forward as far as innovation is concerned. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will introduce a new rule called ‘Impact Player’ who will be a substitute who can come into the team and give his batting/bowling services.
All the 10 IPL teams have studded their squad with star players ahead of the IPL 2023 and now it’s just about time we see them in action. Ahead of the IPL 2023, we have predicted the winner of the IPL 2023 on the basis of the strength of the 10 squads on paper. So, let’s take a deep dive into IPL 2023 Winner Prediction on the basis of Squad.
IPL 2023 Winner Prediction
Winner: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) had another devastating season in the IPL in 2022. Despite all their efforts during the auction, the franchise failed to produce winning results and eventually decided to revamp it entirely ahead of the IPL 2023. During the IPL 2023 Auction, SRH had the biggest purse value (INR 42.25 Crores) and was proactive in outbidding the other teams for all the players it needed from the auction.
It’s worth noting that SRH’s batting and bowling unit, individually, aren’t the best in the IPL 2023, but should they work in tandem, they can do wonders for the team.
The batting unit is studded with the firepower of Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Harry Brook, Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips and Rahul Tripathi in the top and middle order who are all match-winners. To have some fireworks down the order, SRH boasts of Washington Sundar and Abdul Samad, who have often shown what they can do.
Their bowling unit looks pretty balanced with a good mix of experience and young current. Umran Malik will be a key asset for them along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar who will bring his experience to the table. Protea lanky pacer Marco Jansen coupled with Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan and Fazalhaq Farooqi can prove lethal for any team.
SRH managed to get hold of World Cup-winning spinner Adil Rashid as a replacement for Rashid Khan, who parted ways following the completion of the IPL 2022. Washington Sundar, Mayank Markandey and Akeal Hossain are other spinners in the ranks for SRH.
With all the ammunition Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) has in its arsenal, IPL 2023 seems to be the year for the orange flag of SRH to fly high and touch new heights. SRH can replicate its heroics of 2016 to bring home the second IPL title in the upcoming IPL 2023.