The Indian Premier League (IPL) will return to its home-and-away format this season. The IPL has been restricted to a handful of venues since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, when the league was held behind closed doors in the UAE – in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. In 2021, the tournament was held across Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Chennai before being moved to the UAE again. Last year, the matches in the league stage were held at the Wankhede Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje, Pune, while the playoffs were held in Kolkata and Ahmedabad.
The return to the traditional home-and-away format throws up interesting subplots vis-a-vis strategies and playing XI combinations. For instance, RCB plays six out of its first eight games at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, so it’s vital that Faf du Plessis’s men rack up a good win percentage at home early on. Meanwhile, CSK will finish its league stage at home in Chennai, playing four of its last six at Chepauk and hence may have a chance to make up for a poor start.
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Here’s the lowdown on the 10 teams and which teams are best placed to exploit the home and away games. Ties and No Results have not been considered for below stats.
Chennai Super Kings
The return to home-and-away format should benefit the Super Kings, who have won 40 out of 56 matches played at their ‘fortress’ MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. A staggering win percentage of 71.42 at home is indicative of the fact that CSK knows its strengths and plays to them very effectively. Their squad is packed with high-quality, experienced, T20 spinners. Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, and Moeen Ali are wily, accurate white-ball bowlers who are as capable of rattling opposition innings in the Powerplay as they are of strangling them through the middle overs. The even mix of left-handed (LH) and right-handed (RH) spinners is an intelligent way to construct a bowling line-up that can exploit matchups against an RH or LH-heavy batting order on a Chepauk wicket that has traditionally been a helpful deck for the spinners. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane’s selection, too, seems inspired by the return to Chennai. Rahane’s last T20I was back in 2016 and he had an average Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign for Mumbai, but his technique on slow and turning tracks makes him a valuable asset, especially as an Impact Player if there’s a collapse in low-scoring chases. CSK’s away matches are in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow and Delhi.
| M. A. CHIDAMBARAM STADIUM, CHENNAI | |
| Average first-innings score at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 162.6 (67 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 173 (39 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 58.20 (39 off 67 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 38.80 (26 off 67 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 46.42 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at MA Chidambaram Stadium | 35.60 |
RCB will return to its home ground M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is yet to win an IPL title. It has played 77 matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, winning 36, and losing 36. So, statistically, Du Plessis’ men do not have an overwhelming home advantage. Their away matches are in Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Hyderabad. All venues save Lucknow have hosted IPL matches and are historically high-scoring grounds. But at home, RCB’s death-bowling has been an issue and while it has Harshal Patel in its ranks – one of the best exponents of slower balls and dipping yorkers – the small dimensions of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, coupled with the usually flat wickets there, could accentuate the problems posed by the lack of fast bowling depth outside the first XI, at least in Bengaluru. However, its spin flexibility is helpful, with Shahbaz Ahmed and Wanindu Hasaranga taking the ball in opposite directions and both able to bowl in every phase.
| M. CHINNASWAMY STADIUM, BENGALURU | |
| Average first-innings score at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Stadium | 175 (80 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Stadium | 193.4 (33 off 80 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Stadium | 41.25 (33 off 80 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at M Chinnaswamy Stadium | 53.75 (43 off 80 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at M Chinnaswamy Stadium Stadium | 44.30 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at M Chinnaswamy Stadium | 40.20 |
Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata Knight Riders has played 74 games at its home ground, Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. It has won 45 and lost 29. In the past couple of seasons, KKR’s performance has oscillated between sublime and mediocre, consigning it to the chasing pack for the final playoff spot. While the verve and energy of the crowd at the historic venue will be a big leg-up for Shreyas Iyer’s men, it will still have its fair share of challenges, especially on the Indian fast bowling front. KKR released Shivam Mavi but failed to acquire an adequate Indian pace bowling replacement for him. Among the positives are their signings of David Wiese, who could be a useful backup for Andre Russell, and N. Jagadeesan and Litton Das, two wicketkeeper-batters who can open the innings. Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Varun Chakravarthy may not be the preferred spin triplet at home, given the Kolkata pitch has offered more assistance to pacers lately, but be a handful on the turning pitches of Chennai, one of the seven venues where KKR will play its away games. Mohali, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad are the other venues. However, KKR’s biggest concern will be the fitness of Iyer, who was ruled out of the recent Australia ODIs due to a recurring back injury. At the time of going to press, the extent to which the injury would impact Iyer’s IPL participation was not clear.
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| EDEN GARDENS, KOLKATA | |
| Average first innings score at Eden Gardens | 163.6 (79 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at Eden Gardens | 175.4 (31 off 79 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Eden Gardens | 39.24 (31 off 79 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Eden Gardens | 60.75 (48 off 79 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Eden Gardens | 46.24 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Eden Gardens | 35.61 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad returns to its old hunting ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. The last T20I and ODI played at the venue were both high-scoring matches. That should excite SRH, which recently signed new English sensation Harry Brook. It’s his first IPL, but Brook can attack from the get-go and has a 360-degree game.
| RAJIV GANDHI INTERNATIONAL STADIUM, HYDERABAD | |
| Average first-innings score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 158.8 (64 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 171.8 (27 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 42.18 (27 off 64 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 56.25 (36 off 64 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 44.93 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium | 34.60 |
Also, previously SRH lacked a quality wrist-spinner, but it plugged that gap with the signing of English leggie Adil Rashid. The pacers have had a bigger say in IPL matches in Hyderabad, taking 482 wickets at less than eight runs an over and an average of under 27. Spinners, in comparison, have bowled far less and picked up 192 wickets at 7.52 and an average of 30-plus. But SRH travels to Chennai, a venue likely to take more turn as the tournament progresses, and Rashid’s importance will grow manifold on such venues. Likewise, the slowing nature of the Chepauk track would mean the likely top three of Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, and Rahul Tripathi may have to emphasise high-risk shots up front whereas on a seaming Wankhede track, the same batters may have to refrain from playing big booming drives on the up when the ball is new, and the Powerplay is still on. SRH also plays at Lucknow, Kolkata, Delhi, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad.
Delhi Capitals
David Warner will lead Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023 in the absence of Rishabh Pant, who is recovering from a car accident. Axar Patel, the vice-captain in 2022, will continue in that role this season. The Arun Jaitley Stadium last hosted a T20I in June 2022, when India lost a high-scoring thriller to South Africa by seven wickets. The Proteas chased down 212 that night, their highest successful chase in the T20I format. So, there are runs to be had in Delhi, and the Capitals’ batting order packs enough firepower to exploit the conditions. Spinners are known to get some purchase off the pitch in Delhi; Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel can be expected to cause a few headaches for the opposition.
DC’s star all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been in red-hot form in the build-up to this season but can be injury prone. DC’s pursuit of an all-rounder backup for Marsh fell sideways when Mumbai Indians outbid it to acquire Cameron Green. DC will also play in Lucknow, Guwahati, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and Dharamsala.
| ARUN JAITLEY STADIUM, DELHI | |
| Average first-innings score at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 167.2 (78 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 183.2 (35 off 78 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 44.87 (35 off 78 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 52.56 (41 off 78 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 47.32 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Arun Jaitley Stadium | 36.04 |
Mumbai Indians
Five-time champion Mumbai Indians can nimbly slip into the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, for it spent adequate time at home last year when the league stage was confined to the city.
However, finding a home advantage will be challenging after bagging a wooden spoon in 2022. Mumbai is yet to name a replacement for its pace bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah as he recovers from a nagging back injury. The build-up was dented further with injury ruling out Australian quick Jhye Richardson.
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Mumbai has won 43 of the 71 games it has played at Wankhede. It lost twice in four games at the venue last season as meek pace options save Bumrah failed to inspire. Seam bowling has dominated at the high-scoring ground, accounting for 71.81 per cent of all wickets where an average winning score scales north of 180. MI does possess batting heavyweights in Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David and Cameron Green. However, the mercurial form of captain Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan is a concern. Barring Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff, the bowling is thin on experience after Mumbai’s surprising choices in the December 2022 auction.
A tricky mix of away matches awaits. Mumbai opens its campaign in Bengaluru and will also play games on slow surfaces in Chennai, Delhi and Lucknow, besides Mohali and Ahmedabad.
| WANKHEDE STADIUM, MUMBAI | |
| Average first innings score at Wankhede Stadium | 168.4 (104 matches) |
| Average first innings winning score at Wankhede Stadium | 181.6 (47 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Wankhede Stadium | 45.19 (47 of 104 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Wankhede Stadium | 53.84 (56 of 104 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Wankhede Stadium | 45.41 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Wankhede Stadium | 39.36 |
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans will start its first full-fledged home season after clinching the IPL 2022 title in its only appearance at the Narendra Modi Stadium, a venue that could soon transform into its unbreachable fortress.
Ahmedabad has hosted seven matches since the stadium’s makeover in 2020. The pitches have often worn a sluggish look. However, the limited IPL games in the last two seasons have seen varying degrees of grass on the surface. It has consequently produced contrasting results where the tinge of green has either helped the batters strike smoothly or assist the hit-the-deck seamers. The Titans have a pace attack that can adeptly extract the best out of the surfaces. Mohammad Shami, captain Hardik Pandya, and Alzarri Joseph can surprise batters with the extra bounce. The wily Rashid Khan helms the spin chain.
Assuming tacky pitches would also be in play, the Titans’ latest acquisition Kane Williamson could be the key anchor in the top order. The trio of Shubman Gill, Hardik and David Miller – crucial to the team’s success last year – may need to reinvent themselves to up the scoring as the pitches wear out. The tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings, which hinges on its spinners, could set the tone. Hardik’s men will also travel to Delhi, Mohali, Lucknow, Kolkata and Jaipur before sealing the away leg on high-scoring pitches in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
| NARENDRA MODI STADIUM, AHMEDABAD | |
| Average first-innings score at Narendra Modi Stadium | 159.8 (19 matches) |
| Average first-innings winning score at Narendra Modi Stadium | 172.2 (8 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Narendra Modi Stadium | 42.10 (8 of 19 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Narendra Modi Stadium | 52.63 (10 of 19 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Narendra Modi Stadium | 46.63 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Narendra Modi Stadium | 34.29 |
Lucknow Super Giants
Lucknow Super Giants’ maiden IPL campaign ended in disappointment despite the riches in the dugout. A revamped squad for the upcoming season holds promise again.
After an entire season in Mumbai and the solitary game in Kolkata – an Eliminator defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore – the Super Giants will move up to their traditional base at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow this year. Run-scoring has not been easy at the venue, which is yet to host an IPL game. The surface was under the scanner recently when India tottered in a 100-run T20I chase against New Zealand, winning off the penultimate delivery. The Giants’ batting powerhouse comprising skipper K. L. Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis will be crucial on such pitches.
The overall balance of the squad holds the Super Giants in good stead for a range of conditions in the away games in Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Mohali and Kolkata.
Rahul’s seam-bowling options are enviable, with Mark Wood, Avesh Khan and Mohsin Khan forming a solid core supported by decent backups. Leggie Ravi Bishnoi, off-spinner K. Gowtham and left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya firm up Lucknow’s spin department while veteran Amit Mishra adds to the stocks.
| EKANA STADIUM, LUCKNOW | |
| Average first innings score at Ekana Stadium | 145.2 (30 matches) |
| Average first innings winning score at Ekana Stadium | 169.8 (16 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Ekana Stadium | 53.33 (16 of 30 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Ekana Stadium | 46.66 (14 of 30 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Ekana Stadium | 46.63 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Ekana Stadium | 34.29 |
Punjab Kings
Three years have passed since a Punjab outfit played in the IPL at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. The Kings XI Punjab rebranded itself as Punjab Kings in this period, bearing minimal resemblance to its 2019 squad.
Mohali witnessed a high-scoring T20I between India and Australia in September 2022 when the visitor chased down a 208-run target. With true bounce aiding free-flowing strokes, no score is genuinely safe in Mohali, where an average first-innings winning total shoots up to 182.6. Punjab’s batting muscles – Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, and Shahrukh Khan – should flex well on the lively surfaces. However, an injured Jonny Bairstow’s absence will hit the composition.
The Shikhar Dhawan-led side can, however, project an all-condition pace attack. Sam Curran, the costliest IPL buy (₹18.25 crore), joins Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh to form a threat in Mohali and the two home games in Dharamsala. Punjab’s spin stocks remain lean, with specialist options limited to Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar. It could, therefore, occasionally fall short of its team balance in largely spin-friendly conditions in Guwahati, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi.
| IS BINDRA STADIUM, MOHALI (5 MATCHES) | |
| Average first innings score at IS Bindra Stadium | 168 (56 matches) |
| Average first innings winning score at IS Bindra Stadium | 182.6 (24 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at IS Bindra Stadium | 42.85 (24 of 56 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at IS Bindra Stadium | 57.14 (32 of 56 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at IS Bindra Stadium | 47.87 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at IS Bindra Stadium | 35.92 |
Rajasthan Royals
The return to the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur will help Rajasthan Royals to play to its strengths. However, that will only happen after the Royals start their campaign in Hyderabad and feature in two matches in Guwahati – slated as their second home ground. Rajasthan will also play on slow strips of Chennai and Ahmedabad before a game in Jaipur.
The initial matches will help the Royals gauge their mettle in spin-friendly conditions, one likely to be on offer later in five games in Jaipur. Rajasthan has the flair to excel at a venue where it has won 32 of the 47 matches it has played.
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Skipper Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler are the only batters in the IPL to have amassed at least 450 runs against spin with a 150-plus strike rate since 2020. The form of youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, who have dominated the run-charts in the domestic season, also augurs well for Rajasthan.
But the Royals’ spin force tops them all. R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa could unsettle visiting teams in Jaipur, where run-scoring is traditionally grinding in the first half. While it will miss the services of seamer Prasidh Krishna, particularly in the away matches, Rajasthan has the quality to overhaul with Trent Boult, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen and Obed McCoy in the mix. Rajasthan also looks well-equipped to adapt to the conditions in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Dharamsala during the league stage.
| SAWAI MAN SINGH STADIUM, JAIPUR (5 MATCHES) | |
| Average first innings score at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 158.4 (47 matches) |
| Average first innings winning score at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 175.2 (15 matches) |
| % Teams winning batting first at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 31.91 (15 of 47 matches) |
| % Teams winning chasing at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 68.08 (32 of 47 matches) |
| Average Powerplay score at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 44.56 |
| Average death overs (17-20) score at Sawai Man Singh Stadium | 35.06 |
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