The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023's extravaganza is set to kick off from Friday evening (March 31). Four-time title holders Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns with defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023 opener at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.
IPL will be returning to its original home and away format this time around after four-year gap due to Covid-19 restrictions. IPL 2023 will see a total of 10 teams who will be battling against each other for the coveted title. Every franchise is laced with star-studded players who will be plying their trade to win the elusive trophy for their team.
Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals' (DC) head coach has made a big prediction on his favourites to win the IPL 2023 title and surprisingly it's not his own team. In the past four editions, Delhi Capitals have excelled under the mentorship of legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting and have reached the playoffs three out of four times. But when asked about the team who can take away the title this time, Ponting ignored his own team and picked former champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) as his favourite team to win the IPL 2023 title.
As per Ponting RR boast of a good squad and they have all what it takes to become champions this year.
"Obviously, Gujarat (Titans) last year was amazing, a brand new team, and they were able to win the tournament. The other finalist last year, the Rajasthan Royals, have, in my opinion, a really, really good squad. And we said that last year, immediately after the auction, we were pretty impressed with what they were able to do and put a good squad together," Ponting said.
"They’ve only built on that again this year. I think Rajasthan will be there, thereabouts. It’s a hard game to judge, and it's a hard game to understand who’s going to win. Those who stand up in the moment will generally win more often than not. But if I’m looking at the squads, Rajasthan has got a good squad as anybody," he added.
DC will open their IPL 2023 campaign against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 1 (Saturday). In the absence of Rishabh Pant, David Warner has been given the onus to lead the side in the sixteenth edition of the IPL.
ALSO READ:
David Warner reveals Axar Patel's special role as vice captain in IPL 2023, says 'he'll be in control of...'
IPL 2023 | ‘Jadeja will be pushed higher up in the batting order for CSK’: Ex-Chennai Super Kings' star player ahead of season opener vs GT
