No team has broken away from the pack as we veer past the halfway mark of IPL 2023. There are a bunch of teams stacked together on eight points in a crowded mid-table even as Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans sit at the top. Here’s a quick look at how each team has overcome the challenges they’ve faced.
Delhi Capitals
Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, Points 4, Position: tenth
Challenges:
Top-order stability
The missing piece:
Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from multiple injuries following a car crash
How they’ve fared:
David Warner the white-ball destroyer is still finding his gears and Prithvi Shaw as an Impact Sub seems woefully out of form, returning a highest of 13 in six innings, with familiar questions raised around his handling of swing and pace. Sarfaraz Khan was given just one game to prove himself in a role – wicketkeeping – he was groomed to perform in Pant’s absence but lost his place completely after two matches. He’s back again after four games to shore up a misfiring batting line-up. Elsewhere, Mitchell Marsh’s early unavailability due to his wedding led to a roulette with Rilee Rossouw and Rovman Powell coming and going. The chop-change is a reflection of the uncertainty in the camp as they fight near the bottom.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Played 7, Won 2, Lost 5, Points 4, Position: ninth
Challenges:
Top order in a flux
How they’ve fared:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Played 8, Won 3, Lost 5, Points: 6, position: seventh
Challenges:
Top order instability
The missing piece:
Shreyas Iyer, their designated captain, who is undergoing rehab following a back surgery in UK
How they’ve fared:
Mumbai Indians
Played 7, Won 3, Lost 4, Points: 6, position: eighth
Challenges:
Death bowling
The missing piece(s):
Jasprit Bumrah, who is out of the season, and Jofra Archer, who has featured in just two games so far to manage his elbow condition.
How they’ve fared:
Punjab Kings
Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, Points 8, position: sixth
Challenges:
Soft under-belly to their top order in Shikhar Dhawan’s absence due to a shoulder niggle
How they’ve fared:
It looks among the weakest top-three on paper without Dhawan, who brings his experience of being able to anchor or explode based on situations. Matt Short has been inconsistent, Atharva Taide inexperienced and Harpreet Bhatia unable to force the pace despite getting starts. This has meant there’s been an over-reliance on Prabhsimran Singh and the returning Liam Livingstone to fuel their starts. They can’t wait for Dhawan to be back.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Played 8, Won 4, Lost 4, Points 8, position: fifth
Challenges:
Overcoming the Rajat Patidar void
How they’ve fared:
It has been Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, or nothing. The overreliance on the big-three has become their biggest talking point yet again. When Rajat Patidar came in as replacement and set the stage alight by hitting the IPL’s first century by an uncapped player in the playoffs, he brought with him the promise of being able to switch between being an accumulator and an enforcer. But in his absence due to a heel injury, Mahipal Lomror and Shahbaz Ahmed haven’t been able to grab those opportunities. Shahbaz has managed scores of 2 and 2 at No. 3, while Lomror had scores of 26, 0, 7* and 8. On Sunday, just when it appeared as if he’d repay the faith, he was out for 34 in a steep chase.
Lucknow Super Giants
Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, Points 8, position: fourth
Challenges:
Capitalising in the Powerplay
How they’ve fared:
Rajasthan Royals
Played 7, Won 4, Lost 3, Points 8, position: third
Challenges:
Absence of an Indian finisher
How they’ve fared:
They invested heavily in Riyan Parag to play a finisher’s role, but after meagre returns – 54 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 112 – it appears they may have begun looking elsewhere for the moment. Fortunately, they’ve found Dhruv Jurel. The 20-year-old was in their camp for the entire 2022 season as an apprentice, and when it appeared as if Royals may have erred in sending him ahead of the seasoned Jason Holder, Jurel let his bat do the talking on debut. Not even the prospect of needing 74 off 30 proved daunting enough as he smashed an unbeaten 15-ball 32 in an innings full of eye-catching strokes. The Royals lost narrowly, but Jurel did his credentials no harm. Since then, he’s featured in five more games. In their most-recent outing against RCB, he was preferred over Parag and threatened another jailbreak in making an unbeaten 15-ball 34 in a chase of 189.
Gujarat Titans
Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Points 10, position: second
Challenges:
Finding an anchor in Kane Williamson’s absence
How they’ve fared:
When Williamson damaged his ACL and limped off the field in their IPL opener, Titans may have yearned for someone to take over his role. They’ve found B Sai Sudharsan who has proven his capabilities in stepping up by leaving his imprint in a team full of explosive hitters. He’s gotten off to starts in each of the five games, with the back-to-back half-centuries against Capitals and KKR being the standouts. His 176 runs in five innings have come at a strike-rate of 123.94.
Chennai Super Kings
Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, Points 10
Challenges:
Inexperienced seam-attack after injuries to Deepak Chahar, Ben Stokes and Mukesh Choudhary
How they’ve fared:
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo