The IPL 2023 is set to begin on March 31 with defending champions Gujarat Titans hosting the fan-favorite Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. The final of the 16th edition of the tournament will also be held in Ahmedabad, on May 28.
The IPL returns to the traditional home-and-away format in India for the first time after 2019.
As has been the case in every T20 tournament, the success of the opening pair is essential in a team winning that league. So is the case in the IPL, which has seen most of the world’s best openers showcase their prowess and might in the biggest T20 franchise tournament on the planet.
The IPL 2023, too, will be host to a spate of marquee T20 openers who are set to entertain the fans.
Here are the predicted opening pairs of all 10 IPL teams for IPL 2023:
CSK – Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad
Ruturaj Gaikwad had a mediocre IPL 2022 season, scoring 368 runs at an average of 26 and strike rate of 126, but CSK will bank on Gaikwad, the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2021, to return to his best this year.
Partnering him will again be New Zealand’s Devon Conway, who was sensational in his debut IPL season last year: 252 runs in 7 innings at 42 and strike rate of 145.
MI – Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan
Rohit and Kishan had a largely disappointing IPL 2022 – Rohit averaged 19 and Kishan 32 and both scored at a strike rate of 120, which is below par in modern T20 standards. But both are experienced players and will want to put last year’s setback behind them and get MI back to winning ways.
DC – David Warner, Prithvi Shaw
Although DC failed just one win short of qualifying for the playoffs in IPL 2022, their opening pair of Warner and Shaw was a dangerous one. Warner scored 432 runs at an average of 48 and strike rate of 150 while Shaw scored his 283 runs at a strike rate of 155.
Shaw and Warner are arguably the most destructive opening pair in this season’s IPL too. Warner is the DC captain this year after Pant was ruled out due to knee injuries suffered in the car acciden.
KKR – Venkatesh Iyer, ?
In IPL 2022, KKR shuffled with more than 5-6 opening combinations, and were in particular hurt by the poor form of Venkatesh Iyer last year. He is expected to be their first-choice opener this year after a good domestic season.
For the other opener’s slot, KKR have a few options to choose. They traded in Rahmanullah Gurbaz from GT, but he’s unlikely to start as one of the 4 overseas. Nitish Rana is a probable option. Or KKR might just go back to Sunil Narine as their opener. But Rana and Narine are left-handers like Venkatesh Iyer.
At the moment, Mandeep Singh and Narayan Jagadeesan, both of whom are heavily experienced in domestic cricket, seem decent options as right-handed openers with Mandeep also having plenty of IPL experience.
GT – Shubman Gill, Saha/Wade
Gill had a bumper IPL 2022 season – 483 runs – and Saha – with 317 runs – played his role. Now, though, Saha has gotten older by a year and his T20 form in the IPL might be on a decline. GT have retained Wade, who opens for his BBL side with great success and did it recently in the PSl also.
Gujarat Titans have added Kane Williamson to their squad in the auction and the Kiwi skipper provides a great, stable opening option. But having two similar strike-rate players in Gill and Williamson as openers might not be the best tactic.
LSG – KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock
LSG have their openers certain: KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock, both of whom had prolific IPL 2022 season: Rahul scored 616 runs and QDK scored 508 runs, hitting a combined 7 fifties and 3 centuries.
PBKS – Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow
PBKS released Mayank Agarwal, their captain from last season, and appointed Dhawan as their skipper for IPL 2023. Partnering Dhawan at the top is likely to be seen Jonny Bairstow.
Last year, Agarwal demoted himself to have Bairstow open. The Englishman hammered 253 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 144 while Dhawan will play in his anchor role, giving freedom to the power-hitters around him to smack the ball as they wish.
RR – Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Buttler was the Orange Cap winner last season, for amassing 863 runs, which came at a strike rate of 149. Jaiswal had his breakthrough IPL season, wherein he scored 258 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 132 and was chosen over Devdutt Padikkal to open.
Samson has taken up the middle-order role last season and is likely to stick to the number 3/4 position.
RCB – Faf du Plessis, ?
RCB have a conundrum in choosing Faf du Plessis’ opening partner. They used Anuj Rawat and Virat Kohli as openers last season.
But now they will really want to play the in-form Will Jacks in their XI as the opener. Jacks has been in terrific touch in T20 cricket – in the SA20, he scored 270 in only 7 innings at a belligerent strike rate of 201! – and can bowl handy off-spin. There is Finn Allen, too, who has usurped Marin Guptill to become New Zealand’s opener in white-ball cricket.
The problem is that with Faf, Maxwell, Hazlewood and Hasaranga, RCB have their first-choice overseas players all but confirmed, unless any of them get injured.
This means they will have to return to either Anuj Rawat or Kohli as their opener. They can also try the aggressive left-hander Mahipal Lomror.
SRH – Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal
SRH don’t have to worry about their opening combination at least for the first few matches: they have replaced Williamson with Agarwal, who’s been in terrific domestic form and has vast IPL experience. Abhishek Sharma had a brilliant IPL 2022 season: 426 runs at a strike rate of 133.
