The 16th season of the Indian Premier League begins on Friday, marking the return of the largest and most exciting event in cricket.
2023 will feature some of England’s finest cricketers, including Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Harry Brook.
This season’s rules have changed as well, including the ability for sides to make substitutions. Ahead of the beginning of the tournament, here is all you need to know.
When will IPL 2023 begin?
The current champions, Gujarat Titans, take on Chennai Super Kings in the opening match on Friday, March 31 at 15:00 BST. Gujarat Titans won the trophy in their debut season in 2022 Following the addition of Gujarat and Lucknow Super Giants in 2022, the tournament now has 10 teams.
Before the elimination rounds, there are 70 games. The final will be played on May 28 at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
English IPL 2023 players to keep an eye out for
With 863 runs scored for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL in 2022, England’s white-ball skipper Jos Buttler blazed a trail.
Buttler rejoins the Royals, who placed second last season and is joined by Joe Root, a star hitter and teammate from England who will make his tournament debut. The extent to which he will play, though, is unclear considering his recent lack of T20 experience.
After receiving an injection in his problematic left knee, Test captain Ben Stokes should bat in Chennai Super Kings’ first games. Stokes, who cost £1.63 million and joined Moeen Ali in Chennai, will go early to be ready for England’s first summer Test against Ireland on June 1 This will undoubtedly have an impact on Root, Brook, and Jofra Archer as well.
Before the five-test Ashes series against Australia, which begins later in June, England supporters will be anxiously watching all of those players and praying they stay healthy.
Sam Curran, the all-rounder who won player of the tournament honours in the 2018 T20 World Cup, set records in the 2023 auction when Punjab Kings paid £1.85 million to get him. All-arounder Liam Livingstone has also joined him.
Just over four months after making his Test debut, Sunrisers Hyderabad acquired Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook for £1.35 million. His brilliant start to his international career made him one of the most highly prized players.
Fast bowler Archer, who last played for England in almost two years in January, is expected to join the Mumbai Indians as he prepares to play in a Test match.
The English contingent is completed by David Willey and Reece Topley at Royal Challengers Bangalore, Phil Salt at Delhi Capitals, and Adil Rashid joining Brook at Sunrisers.
What adjustments have been made, and who is missing?
Jonny Bairstow of England, who was scheduled to play for Punjab Kings, is one of the most notable missing players from the competition as he continues to recover from a fractured left leg, but Australia’s Matthew Short steps in to fill his spot on Punjab’s team.
Will Jacks from England has been replaced by Michael Bracewell from New Zealand at Royal Challengers Bangalore, who will once again have Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Faf du Plessis among their ranks.
As India’s wicketkeeper, Rishabh Pant recovers from a car accident, David Warner, an Australian batter, has taken over as the Delhi Capitals’ captain.
Some of India’s other top athletes have also missed games this season due to injuries, including Pant.
Jasprit Bumrah, a prominent bowler for the Mumbai Indians, will miss the IPL for the first time since 2013 due to a back issue, and Shreyas Iyer, a spinner for the Kolkata Knight Riders, will sit out at least the first half of the competition. Shreyas is replaced as captain by Nitish Rana, although Mumbai has not yet named the replacement for injured seamer Jhye Richardson.
Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has been named the new head coach of Mumbai, taking over for Sri Lanka icon Mahela Jayawardene, who has been promoted to a strategic position.
Anil Kumble has been replaced at Punjab Kings by England’s World Cup-winning coach Trevor Bayliss, and West Indies star Brian Lara has replaced Tom Moody at Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Brendon McCullum, the former Kolkata-based England Test coach, has been replaced by Chandrakant Pandit.
What will the IPL 2023 structure and schedule be?
Each team plays 14 group games after being divided into two groups of five. They play the other group’s teams twice as well as the teams from their group once. With the group stage ending on May 21, those results are compiled into a single table.
The playoffs begin with a match between the top two finishers from the group stage, with the victor advancing directly to the championship match.
The loser is then eliminated while the third and fourth play. For the last spot, the winner of that match will compete against the loser of the first playoff.
| Group A | Group B |
| Mumbai Indians | Chennai Super Kings |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Rajasthan Royals | Gujarat Titans |
| Delhi Capitals | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Lucknow Super Giants | Punjab Kings |
Have new regulations been implemented?
Yes, a couple. Now, rather than previously, teams can turn in their starting lineup. A new “Impact Player” regulation has also been added. A replacement player may enter the game at any moment throughout an inning, the conclusion of an over for a bowler, or any time for a batter. Teams may nominate up to five substitutes.
Unless the side has not yet used its whole foreign complement of four, the player removed from the game cannot participate any longer and must be replaced by an Indian player.
Teams will be able to review wides and no-balls, but only four fielders will be permitted beyond the 30-yard ring if their bowling innings go over.
