The much-awaited 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin from March 31. In the opening match of IPL 2023, defending champions Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings.
The IPL 2022 edition saw introduction of two new teams – Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. Both impressed – GT became the champions while LSG qualified for the playoffs.
With IPL reverting to home-away format this time after a hiatus of three years, it is time to take a look what happened in the 2022 season.
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At the start of the IPL 2022, five-time winners Mumbai Indians and the then defending champions Chennai Super Kings were touted as the favourites to lift the glittering trophy. Both Mumbai and Chennai, however, failed to live up to the expectations and they could not even advance to the playoffs.
While Mumbai Indians were plagued by injuries, Chennai Super Kings struggled with balance. CSK also had a change in their leadership at the start of the season.
Star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was appointed as the new captain for the 2022 season. But the four-time champions only won two games out of eight under his leadership and MS Dhoni was reappointed as the skipper midway.
Jadeja was also ruled out towards the business end of the tournament with a rib injury. Then came reports of rift within the team. All this took a toll on their performance. .
Royal Challengers Bangalore had a decent outing last time. The Faf du Plessis-led side progressed to their third straight playoff. In the end, the Bengaluru-based outfit lost in the second Qualifier.
Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals were the dark horses. They made it to the final of the league for just the second time in their history. Jos Butler’s red-hot form was a key factor behind their sensational run last year.
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Debutants Gujarat Titans emerged as the team to beat last year. They were consistent throughout the tournament and showcased a terrific brand of cricket to reach the final. In the summit clash, the Hardik Pandya-led side got the better of Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans enjoyed a dream maiden IPL season last time and needless to say, they are the strongest contender to lift the title this year.
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