Seven games have been played by 8 of 10 teams so far in the league stage of the 2023 Indian Premier League. The season has been intriguing and full of excellent individual performances. The competition has been completely taken over by experienced players like Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli, Maxwell consistently ranks among the top run scorers.
Dinesh Karthik (RCB): The senior wicketkeeper-batter, who is now 37, was crucial to RCB in 2022, hitting 330 runs at an average of 55 and a strike-rate of 183.33 to earn a retention fee of 5.5 crore. The designated finisher has had a difficult run this year. He has only scored 61 runs with five single-digit scores in seven games, including two ducks. RCB needs Karthik to take on more responsibility to relieve some of the pressure on Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell. It is true that Karthik has the difficult task of hitting boundaries from the first ball and has got to face just 45 deliveries.
Andre Russell (KKR): The 34-year-old West Indies all-rounder confronts the same difficulty of making a huge impact quickly as Karthik. Russell is KKR’s most expensive player, costing 16 crores, and there’s a solid reason for it. He is one of the most feared batters around after lighting up the competition with thunderous shots season after season. The Jamaican has yet to reach his peak this year, though. He scored 35 against PBKS in the first game before adding 21* and 38* against MI and DC, respectively. Yet KKR lost each of those contests. He only managed single-digit runs in the other four innings. Eighth in the standings, KKR is struggling and needs their hero to perform.
Prithvi Shaw (DC): The 23-year-old opener has had a miserable season, giving up a total of 47 runs in six innings with two ducks. Shaw’s form was a major issue for Delhi Capitals as they started their season with five straight defeats; he was benched for Monday’s game at SRH, which Capitals won. Despite lacking firepower at the top, captain David Warner has been reliable for DC. Coach Ricky Ponting anticipated Shaw to do that, and Shaw had his support, but Shaw has found other ways to escape, failing to establish any rhythm. It is uncertain if Warner will be able to replace Phil Salt as his starting partner.
Mitchell Marsh (DC): Another important member of the Delhi Capitals team who has fallen short of expectations this year. The 31-year-old missed a few early games as he travelled home for his wedding. He was named Player-of-the-Match in the final as Australia won the 2021 T20 World Cup. However, in the five games he has played, he has only managed to score 31 runs and two ducks. He’s had no effect with the ball either, taking only three wickets in 9.1 overs. The Capitals offered 6.5 crore for the services of the all-arounder and will be hoping he swiftly recovers form and leads a fightback, though it may be too late to make the playoffs.Mayank Agarwal (SRH): He has played in 120 IPL games and was purchased by SRH for 8.25 crore. This despite the Punjab Kings scoring just 196 runs in 12 innings previous season. The 2016 winners haven’t undergone a turnaround. Another bad at-bat performance by the Karnataka
