The COVID-19 regulations will be lifted for the upcoming IPL 2023 season, which will be the first time since the 2019 season that the tournament will use its traditional home-and-away schedule.
During the 2020 season and the second half 2021 season, the IPL was held in the United Arab Emirates, while the 2022 season took place in Maharashtra. In contrast, Kolkata and Ahmedabad hosted the IPL 2022 playoffs and the final. But this time, the cash-rich IPL 2023 tournament will occur in 12 different locations across India, with each team playing seven home and seven away games.
According to a statement released by BCCI, “The league stage of the 16th season of the IPL will return to a home-and-away format, with each team playing seven home games and seven away games. During 52 days and 12 different venues, 70 matches will be organised in the league stage.”
Specific teams, especially those that play well in their stadiums, will gain from restoring the classic format.
1. Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have succeeded on spin-friendly surfaces at MA Chidambaram Stadium. At Chepauk, bowlers like Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja terrified the opposite batting lineup. Since the IPL was not played in a home-and-away format over the past three seasons, CSK was the most negatively impacted team. Plans had to be changed, and it affected the effectiveness of several of the team configurations. When the competition is restored to its original format, the Chennai Super Kings will benefit greatly.
2. Punjab Kings
There has been a long-standing reliance on fast bowlers for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the IPL. The Inderjit Singh Bindra Stadium in Mohali, home to the Punjab Cricket Association, has boded well for PBKS’s aim of assembling a fast-bowling-oriented team.
These past few years, however, have been particularly stressful because they haven’t been playing in their usual environment. The new administration and captain, Shikhar Dhawan, will be pleased to see the competition return to its original structure. Fast bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Nathan Ellis, among others, are at Punjab’s service to make the most of the conditions.
3. Kolkata Knight Riders
Eden Gardens is like a castle to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). When they play in Eden Gardens, it gives the best slow and turning tracks around, and the crowd goes wild. The Knight Riders have loaded up on spinners again this year with the calibre of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Shakib Al Hasan, Anukul Roy, and a mysterious spinner named Suyash Sharma. Because of the slow and winding tracks at Eden Gardens, KKR will undoubtedly benefit from the IPL’s return to its old home-and-away format.