IPL 2023: The sixteenth edition of the cash-rich Indian Premier League is just around the corner. The upcoming season will go all guns blazing from March 31 onwards.
The defending champions, Gujarat Titans will lock horns with Chennai Super Kings in the tournament opener on March 31. It will be quite interesting to see how the opener pans out.
In the previous season, Chennai Super Kings locked horns with Gujarat Titans on both occasions in the group stage. However, CSK failed to get over the line in both meetings.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the competition. They have won five titles so far in their journey.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chennai Super Kings have won four titles in their journey. They are the second-most successful team in the competition.
Kolkata Knight Riders have won two titles. The likes of Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, and Deccan Chargers won a title apiece.
IPL 2023: South African players to miss IPL matches owing to national commitments
Meanwhile, in what comes as a big blow to IPL franchises, South African players are set to miss the IPL matches owing to the Netherlands ODI series.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Cricket South Africa (CSA) notified the BCCI that it wanted all its top cricketers available for the two-match home ODI series against the Netherlands.
The two-match ODI series between South Africa and the Netherlands will begin in late March. Proteas are slated to play on March 31 and April 2 in Benoni and Johannesburg, respectively in that ODI Super League series against the Netherlands.
Proteas must beat the Netherlands in the ODI series to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. The marquee event will take place later this year in India. As a result, Cricket South Africa took this decision.
As many as ten franchises are taking part in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The ten teams include Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants.
For the unversed, South African players are included in the squads of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, Marco Jansen), Delhi Capitals (Nortje, Lungi Ngidi), Mumbai Indians (Tristan Stubbs, possibly Dewald Brevis), Gujarat Titans David Miller), Lucknow Super Giants (Quinton de Kock), and Punjab Kings (Kagiso Rabada).
