IPL 2023: Five Matches You Cannot Miss

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Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is set to kickstart from March 31 and fans have already started to rally behind their favourite teams. The fifteen glorious years of the IPL has given birth to some intense rivalries between the star-studded teams.

Northern derby and southern derby are not just restricted to football now, and the loyal fanbase of the teams should be given a major credit for it. For example, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have never won an IPL title but their fanbase is one of strongest in the world.

Some choose their teams on the basis of their hometown or the place they reside in India. Some support the team their favourite player is representing. A Mumbai guy supporting Chennai for MS Dhoni isn't a surprise. Likewise, a person from Kolkata might just be supporting RCB for Virat Kohli.

What also generates curiosity in IPL matches is the line-ups of the two contesting teams. Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya marshaling his troops against his former side Mumbai Indians (MI) is bound to attract eyeballs. Let's have a look at five IPL 2023 matches you cannot miss.

Gujarat Giants (GT) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

The IPL 2023 opener between defending champions Gujarat Giants (GT) and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be the first match one should not miss. An inspired and confident Gujarat versus a CSK squad looking to bounce back after a horrendous season 15 will be a spectacle.

The match will witness GT captain Hardik Pandya go against his self-confessed role model MS Dhoni. The bond between the two has flourished with time. Remember the time when Hardik flew to Ranchi to surprise Dhobi amid a raging Covid-19 threat?

The match will also feature a few of the best all-rounders of the world. Hardik, Rashid Khan, Vjay Shankar and Rahil Tewatia will turn up for Gujarat, while Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube will take the field for Chennai.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

Virat Kohli's team taking on Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians always thrills the fans. The fanbase of the two Indian superstars make the affair spicy. The fact that Mumbai have won five titles and RCB none make the affair spicier.

RCB and MI are star-studded sides since the inauguration of IPL. The current bunch of players in the two teams also have a lot of flamboyance around them. In simple terms they are crowd-pullers and leave the atmosphere buzzing with their presence.

CSK's Dhoni, Stokes, Jadeja, Moeen, Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu are all box office at stadium and so are Mumbai Indians stars Rohit, Jofra Archer, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Dewald Brevis, Tim David, Cameron Green and Piyush Chawla.

RCB and MI will meet each other on April 2 and May 9 in Bengaluru and Mumbai respectively.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Mumbai Indians (MI)

The two most successful teams in the IPL have developed the most intense rivalry in the arguably the best T20 league in the world. In the last three seasons, the two champion teams have won a match each against each other.

Both the teams are coming into the IPL 2023 after forgettable outings in the previous edition. Notably, in the IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians finished at the bottom with just four wins in 14 league matches. CSK (also 4 wins) finished ahead of them at ninth.

Dhoni versus Rohit rivalry will renew once again on Saturday April 8 in Mumbai. They will meet for the second time in the league stage on May 6 in Chennai. The match will also see budding all-rounder Green going against experienced all-rounder Stokes.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

The matches between Chennai and Bangalore were earlier known for creating excitement to see Dhoni and Kohli going against each other in one of the most awaited southern derbies. A new dimension to it has been added since last year.

Former CSK opener Faf du Plessis is now the captain of RCB. The former South Africa captain's release from the CSK camp ahead of IPL 2022 auction was a surprise move but fans (apart from ones supporting CSK) aren't complaining.

The two teams will meet for the first time on April 17 in Bengaluru. Placed in the same group, both the teams have only one league match against each other. They could possibly face each other later in play-offs of IPL 2023.

Delhi Capitals (DC) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

This match is a must watch solely because of David Warner's history with the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The Australian opener led SRH to their first-ever IPL title in 2016. Despite scoring tons of runs over the years for the franchise, Warner's last few days at SRH were humiliating.

He was first sacked as the captain, then dropped from the playing eleven and reports back then had even revealed that Warner wasn't allowed to travel even in the team bus. Warner got induced in the Delhi squad ahead of the IPL 2022.

In his first outing against the SRH, he scored unbeaten 92 runs off just 58 balls to fire Delhi Capitals to a comfortable 21-run win. This time around, he will be captaining DC in the absence of Rishabh Pant and we can't wait to see him lead against his ex-team.

The two sides clash against each other on April 24 and 29.