One constant in the competition since its inception is that teams performing well at home ground are very successful. This is true for Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, the most successful teams in IPL history with the highest percentage of home wins.
We are at the halfway stage of the IPL 2023; there has been a lot of exciting cricket with cut-throat competition among teams. Four teams have won 4 out of 7 games and are vying for 3rd and 4th positions. The crowded points table, new Impact Player Rule, close games, and quality of all 10 teams have made this edition one of the best.
However, home ground advantage hasn’t materialized for some teams due to the nature of pitches at their home grounds. Let’s look at 3 such teams:
1) Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have had a mixed start to their Tata IPL 2023 campaign, winning 4 out of their first 8 games. They played 6 out of their first 8 games at home due to the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections and won 3. The home ground Chinnaswamy in Bangalore has been a batter’s paradise, with 200+ being a necessity. However, struggles of the RCB batting line-up beyond Kohli, Du Plessis, and Maxwell have led to collapses and falling short of targets.
2) Kolkata Knight Riders
The Kolkata Knight Riders have three excellent spinners in Narine, Chakravarthy, and Sharma, but the current pitches at Eden Gardens are pacy with excellent bounce and great for batting. KKR has won just 1 out of 3 home games, with at least one team crossing 200 in all games. The only home win was against RCB when their spinners picked up nine wickets on a pitch offering some slowness and turn. However, the home ground pitches have largely offered no turn to KKR spinners resulting in a poor home record.
3) Mumbai Indians
MI had an excellent bowling attack with Malinga, Bumrah, Boult, and McClenaghan but lost the bulk of their side in the mega-auction before IPL 2022. With Bumrah injured and others retired or playing for other franchises, MI is struggling with their bowling attack. The Wankhede Stadium is a batter’s dream, with 200+ scores being routine, but MI’s weak bowling attack has struggled in all three home games. This was most visible when PBKS posted 214/8 batting first against MI at Wankhede.
