OPENING WEEK DELIGHTS PROVIDE SPARKLING START TO IPL 2023!

The IPL season for 2023 kicked off in a spectacular manner with an opening week full of high-voltage action that has been the hallmark of the world’s most expensive cricket league. After the first week, defending champions Gujarat Titans stand at the top with Punjab Kings occupying the second spot in the points table that is likely to see many ups and downs over the next 8 weeks as the IPL saga warms up.

GLAMOROUS OPENING
The glamorous opening ceremony which had all the razzmatazz to woo even a noncricket fan, was a humongous success. The wonderfully choreographed show saw many film stars and singers dazzle with their performances. Later, the first game between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings gave a glimpse of what the fans can expect over the course of the next two months. The terrific entertainer saw Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat beat crowd favourite Dhoni’s Chennai by 5 wickets.

It was Ruturaj Gaikwad of CSK who set the stage on fire with a scintillating 92 off 50 balls. But poor middle order batting saw them post just 178. Shubman Gill from Gujarat continued his rich vein of form and hit 63 off just 36 balls to start off the chase on a strong note. There was a slight wobble in the middle overs which left Gujarat needing 30 runs in the last 3 overs but Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan ensured there were no hiccups for the defending champs in their opening game.

‘IMPACT PLAYER’ RULE
There was also the introduction of a new rule of an ‘Impact Player’ which was put to use by Chennai in defending their total. Tushar Deshpande became the first Impact Player of the IPL as he was introduced in place of Ambati Rayudu. He picked up Shubman Gill but couldn’t close out the game in the final over with Gujarat needing just 7 runs.

Apart from the Impact Player allowance, there are a couple of new rules also in effect from IPL 2023. There is DRS rule which allows the fielding team to check the wides and no ball calls given by on-field umpires. This rule was successfully tested in the recently concluded Women’s Premier League. Also, exchanging of team sheets before the toss has been discontinued as teams are now allowed to take a call on selections after the toss has been done.

PUNJAB’S GREAT START
The other team that has got off to a great start is Punjab. They played the thriller of the week with Rajasthan Royals in a rare game where both sides had scores of about 200. Rajasthan needed 198 to win and came tantalisingly close losing by just 5 runs. Sanju Samson’s batting was the highlight of Rajasthan’s innings as he scored 42 off 25 balls. He will be closely watched through the season but will selectors take a kinder look at him is the key question.

DELHI’S POOR START
The team that’s got off to the poorest start is Delhi who have lost both their matches. They lost tamely to Lucknow in their first game by 50 runs and then played poorly against Gujarat as well. One of the reasons for their lack of success is Prithvi Shaw going through a bad patch. Ironically, their big highlight was putting out Rishabh Pant jersey on their balcony and later his arrival in their second game. If they need a turnaround, it will demand a huge improvement on their current efforts.

MIXED START OF TEAMS
Meanwhile, 5-time champions Mumbai Indians also got off to its usual poor start losing the opening match as they’ve always done since 2013. But along with Sunrisers, who also have lost their opening game, they are yet to play their second games in the tournament and will hope for a turnaround in fortune sooner than later.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow Super Giants and Kolkata Knight Riders all have had a mixed start, losing one and winning one. For RCB though, the bright spot was Virat Kohli who was awesome in the first game against Mumbai. But the team flopped badly in their second match where KKR thrashed them as Shardul Thakur showcased his batting abilities. The sore point for Lucknow has been the poor form of K.L. Rahul has brought his international failures into the IPL season but the tournament could be the platform for him to shake off the poor spell.

International stars from Jos Buttler to Rashid Khan have already stamped their class in IPL’s first week. But all Indian players will be keen to perform and make heads turn especially with the ODI World Cup later in the year. Fans can surely look forward to more exciting games as the competition heats up from the second week onwards.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

SIDDHAARTH MAHAN The writer is a specialist on Sports and Cinema who works as an actor in the Hindi film industry