Cricket has been the most popular sport in India for ages. Introducing the IPL – professional T20 cricket league has transformed cricket into a year-round festival for the fans as the TATA acquired the season 16 contest’s sponsorship called TATA IPL 2023.
From season to season, the IPL governing council has tried introducing new rules and changes to make the competition interesting and exciting for players and spectators. One of the most highlighted things among them was the introduction of fantasy cricket, an opportunity for fans to play along.
As IPL 2023 has already begun on March 31st, let us understand the key aspects of the biggest domestic league, IPL 2023.
Participating Teams
Since last season, ten teams have been competing to become the IPL title winner. Here are the teams:
Franchise Name | Team Captain | Head Coach |
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | Stephen Fleming |
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) | Faf Du Plessis | Sanjay Bangar |
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | Aiden Markram | Brian Lara |
Mumbai Indians (MI) | Rohit Sharma | Mark Boucher |
Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Sanju Samson | Kumar Sangakkara |
Punjab Kings (PBKS) | Shikhar Dhawan | Trevor Bayliss |
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Nitish Rana | Chandrakant Pandit |
Delhi Capitals (DC) | David Warner | Ricky Pointing |
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | K L Rahul | Andy Flower |
Gujarat Titans (GT) | Hardik Pandya | Ashish Nehra |
Game Format
All the franchises are divided into two groups of five teams each. Each squad will play two games (home and away) with the other group’s teams in a double round-robin format and play one game each with four different teams in the same group. There will be seven home and seven away games for each team.
Group A has Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals, and Lucknow Super Giants.
Group B contains Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Punjab Kings.
Venues
After four years, the league stage will be played in India across 12 venues over 52 days. In total, 70 league matches will be played at the home stadiums of all IPL teams, and two new platforms will be added in the sixteenth season.
New Rules
On March 31st, the new season of IPL started with the defending champion Gujarat Titans defeating the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural match. This time, the BCCI introduced some new rules to spice up the tournament and intensify the excitement of the players and spectators simultaneously.
Here are some new rules of IPL 2023 that you need to know.
1. Impact Player System
Under the ‘impact player system,’ teams are allowed to announce their playing eleven after the toss instead of before the toss in the previous seasons. The captains must hand over two sheets of their playing XI and five substitute players to the match referee after the toss. This system is challenging to the think tank as they must assess the playing conditions well and decide their impact on the player accordingly. Similarly, the fans and spectators will have some quality discussion time.
2. New signal for ‘impact player.’
While introducing an impact player by a team, the umpires clench both fists and cross their hands above their heads.
3. DRS for bowling
Till last season, the DRS applied to bat only. In IPL 2023, teams can challenge no-balls and wide-ball calls made by the on-field umpires through the ‘Decision Review System.’ This rule can give some cushion for the bowlers, especially when they lose their line and length due to the match pressure, and it will boost their confidence. This rule was first used during the inaugural season of Women’s Premier League 2023.
4. Penalty for slow overs
If over is not completed in the allocated time, only four fielders will be allowed outside the 30-yard circle as a penalty, instead of the normal five fielders for the remainder of the innings. This rule is a test for the captains and their intelligence in using their bowlers properly.
5. A deadball call
The umpires can give a quiet ball call at any time of the game if they notice any unfair movements of the fielder and the wicketkeeper during the match. It will result in a penalty of five runs to the opposite team, and the delivery in which it happened will be declared a dead ball.
Playoff Qualification Scenario
As usual, the top four teams in the points table will qualify for the playoffs after the end of the group stage. However, the IPL 2023 Playoffs race is heating up, with all ten teams still in contention heading into the final fortnight of the league stage. A team needs a minimum of 16 points to qualify for the playoffs, and a team with 18 points in the group stage will be entitled to play in Qualifier 1 and get an opportunity to enter the 2023 IPL final directly.
How To Watch IPL 2023 On Television
There are several ways to watch the sixteenth season of the IPL happening in India. It is streaming free not only in our country but across the globe as the IPL fan following is bigger than any other tournament.
Star Sports channel is telecasting the tournament for free with commentary in several Indian languages. Free streaming websites such as JioCinema completely coverage of IPL matches for two months. Besides, you can get all the information regarding the highly competitive matches while playing the fantasy league on your smartphone.
Conclusion
The race to qualify for the playoffs is on as the exciting IPL 2023 approaches its crucial stage. You will soon get a clear picture of the qualifier matches and who will win this season’s prestigious title. Till then, support your team and the players.