3 teams which could run into problems with their overseas combination in IPL 2023
The 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) will see the introduction of an impact player rule, which will help teams get a little more flexibility in their playing XIs.
However, there's little to no leeway when it comes to the overseas quota, with only four players allowed in the side for a contest. All 10 franchises were active in their pursuit of quality overseas players at the IPL 2023 auction, but not all of them have the right combination to suit their respective XIs.
Here are three teams that could run into problems while selecting their overseas combination in IPL 2023.
#3 Delhi Capitals
David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Rovman Powell, Mustafizur Rahman, Anrich Nortje and Rilee Rossouw are the eight overseas players on the Delhi Capitals' books right now.
Among these players, Warner is the only one guaranteed to be part of the playing XI. While Marsh and Nortje missed large parts of IPL 2022 with illness and injury, Ngidi and Powell didn't have a big role to play. In fact, Ngidi didn't even turn out once for DC last year.
With Rishabh Pant set to miss IPL 2023, the Capitals might be forced to field Salt, who is their only wicket-keeper apart from a part-time option in Sarfaraz Khan. They will also presumably need to play an overseas fast bowler, leaving them to choose between Marsh, Rossouw and Powell.
While DC are likely to pick Marsh and bat him at No. 3, their middle and lower order will look extremely thin. If they opt to shore up that department, though, Warner and Prithvi Shaw might have too much on their hands once again.
#2 Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH were expected to snap up one of Cameron Green, Ben Stokes and Sam Curran at the IPL 2022 auction, but they instead opted to spend heavily on specialist batters in Harry Brook and Mayank Agarwal. They even snapped up Heinrich Klaasen for a sizeable amount.
Apart from Brook and Klaasen, Hyderabad have Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips, Marco Jansen, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein in the mix. While they can afford to play Klaasen, Brook, Markram and Phillips in the playing XI, that would leave them with only three pace-bowling options.
One of Klaasen and Phillips has to play as the gloveman, and if the other is replaced, it has to be by Jansen to add some batting depth at No. 8. None of SRH's Indian pacers can bat, and playing Farooqi as the fourth overseas player might leave the lower order exposed.
Jansen, though, isn't a reliable all-phase bowler in T20 cricket. SRH will have to make a sacrifice or two while picking their ideal XI because they have no world-class overseas all-rounders on their roster.
#1 Mumbai Indians
Another team with a power-packed overseas middle order, MI have Cameron Green, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs and Tim David. They also have Jofra Archer, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Duan Jansen. But how do they fit four ideal overseas players during IPL 2023?
Richardson doesn't seem to be a starter right now, but Mumbai are without any quality in the domestic pace department. Unless they field the Aussie alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Archer, they might be left scavenging for overs from the likes of Ramandeep Singh and Green, whose bowling availability is still uncertain.
If they pick Richardson, though, only one of Brevis, Stubbs and David will make the playing XI alongside Archer and Green. That would be a massive waste of talent, irrespective of who MI select. The lack of Indian fast bowlers has pushed Rohit Sharma and the team management into a corner.