The IPL 2023 auction was quite entertaining. Every franchise did go to its limits to get the players it wanted. Some did get those, and some got another. There was some increase in the overall purse. And, this time the highest bid was record-breaking. It was INR 18.25 crore for Sam Curran.
There is another interesting thing to look at. The most IPL title-winning teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings were looking to rebuild their teams. The performance of those teams in the last season was below average. And, they were definitely looking for good players. In fact, the second and third highest bids this season were made by Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings respectively.
Now the question that arises is whether both teams will regain their performances. Or any of both teams will win the title of IPL 2023? Before coming to any conclusion, let us discuss the final team that both have.
Chennai Super Kings
CSK was struggling in IPL 2022. Every fan of the team was totally disappointed. There were multiple factors behind that. The injury of Deepak Chahar was one of them. There were none of the backup bowlers to match his intensity. Thus, the team did pay for it.
Now in IPL 2023, they did build a great team. First of all, they let go of Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Robin Uthappa, and Ambati Rayudu.
Now there was an extreme need for an all-rounder to the team. Therefore, they bid for Ben Stokes. The bidding went on for a while. Finally, he is in the Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2023 for INR 16.25 Crore. This was the highest bid for last year’s IPL auction.
The other new players are Ajinkya Rahane, Kyle Jamieson, Nishant Sindhu, Shaikh Rasheed, Ajay Mandal, and Bhagath Verma. The rest of the team is the same with MS Dhoni as captain.
Now the batting lineup is extremely strong. The score machines are all set. Even the spin bowlers like Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja can use the pitch effortlessly.
But the issue is with fast pace bowlers. That is the area where new players will play. They have little to no experience.
But still, the team is strong and has a fair chance to lift the trophy.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians is an extremely popular and successful IPL team. They did win the title five times. Their performances in all the seasons were impeccable, except the last one. They definitely want to come back strong again. And make every MI fan happy in IPL 2023.
Though Mumbai Indians did release thirteen players in total. In fact, the players like Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Fabian Allen, Basil Thampi, etc. are not playing with MI this season. But, the most shocking release is of the great all-rounder Kieron Pollard. This might affect their performance in IPL 2023.
However, Mumbai Indians did buy a new player. Cameron Green, the Australian all-rounder, will replace Pollard. MI spent the second-highest amount in IPL auction history i.e. INR 17.50 crore on him. They got Jhye Richardson and Piyush Chawla to back their bowling.
With the combination of both new and old players, the team looks in great shape. The bowling lineup is strong with Jasprit Bumrah, Cameron Green, and Hardik Pandya on it. And, batting has always made them proud.
Therefore Mumbai Indians will definitely be the tough competition in grabbing the IPL 2023 title.
Conclusion
To cap it all, after looking into the squads of both teams. We can estimate that there are quite the chances of them playing in finals. But, we can not ignore the other teams. The RCB is building nicely. How can we forget Gujrat Titans, who won IPL 2022.
Cricket is of course an unpredictable game. We can not tell anything unless the last ball. Every team will have their eyes on the trophy. Thus, it seems like each team has an equal chance of winning the final.
However, one thing we can be sure of. The cricket matches will be extremely entertaining. So, do not forget to keep the snacks ready. Make the seats comfy. Watch with friends. And cheer for your team. And, most importantly, do not forget that this is just a game. So, do not enter the zone of hatred. Be Good, Have fun.
