With nine IPL titles between them, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the two most successful franchises in the history of the T20 competition. However, it has been an uncharacteristically miserable season for both teams in 2022.
The Super Kings defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders in
the final in 2021 for their fourth success in the IPL. Their title defence did not last very long, as they have struggled at the bottom end of the table throughout the campaign.
Chennai lost some key players from their title-winning team last year. Josh Hazelwood and Faf du Plessis signed for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Shardul Thakur was picked up by the Delhi Capitals, while spin bowler Imran Tahir did not return in 2022.
The high turnover of players has meant Chennai has not been able to settle this season. Although, their results have
improved slightly in the second half of the campaign, which will be something which will encourage head coach Stephen Fleming ahead of next year.
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Mumbai has also had to overcome losing some of its best performers. The
five-time winners prevailed in just two of their opening matches 11 in 2022. Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Quinton de Kock, Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile all left for different challenges.
Rohit Sharma has tried his best to help his side record some success on the field. The India captain has scored over 200 runs once again this season, however, his side has often fallen short with the bat.
Newcomers Have Made a Big Impact
This year’s IPL has included two new franchises in
the competition, and both sides have made an immediate impact. Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants are set to be contenders for the title in their debut campaigns.
As of the 12th May, Gujarat is the 3.0 favourite in the outright betting for those looking to place a
cricket bet. The Titans did an excellent job at the IPL Auction earlier this year, with the pick of their acquisitions being Pandya. They gave the Indian all-round the captaincy, and he has led by example on the field.
Gujarat’s talented roster also includes Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan,
David Miller and Matthew Wade. Players who are proven in the IPL. The new team have gelled well together and may be set to cap off what has been a dream opening year in the T20 competition.
A similar approach was taken by the Super Giants in their appointment of
KL Rahul as their first captain. They went for a player with a lot of international and IPL experience, and it looks to be paying off. He has not only led the team very well, but he has also delivered a lot of runs this year.
Lucknow spent the majority of its budget at the IPL Auction on
Evin Lewis, Marcus Stoinis, Jason Holder, de Kock and Krunal Pandya. Those players have proved their worth to their side with some big performances in the competition.
Nature Of IPL Gives Hope for All 10 Teams
The way the IPL is set up, with an auction every year, it means all 10 franchises have the opportunity to improve their roster before the start of the campaign. In many ways, it is like the draft system used in American sports. This tends to stop teams from dominating for too long.
Given the way the league opens the door for teams to get better, it makes the success Mumbai and Chennai have both had even more impressive. They were able to keep hold of key players such as MS Dhoni, Sharma and Pandya for a long time, and those figures have really had a huge impact on the franchises.
Mumbai and Chennai will be confident of turning around their form next season and returning as contenders for the title again. They will be highlighting the key areas where they need to improve and will already have a plan in place as to who to target at the IPL Auction next year.
The 2023 IPL will be the 16th edition of the tournament. 10 teams are set to participate again across 74 matches. It is scheduled to begin in March, with the final set to take place in late May once again.
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