"ARE. YOU. READY" - IPL 2023 captains pose for a group photo with the trophy
The captains of the teams participating in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) assembled in Ahmedabad and posed together alongside the trophy at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday (March 30).
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was absent, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar attended in the absence of Sunrisers Hyderabad's designated captain Aiden Markram, who is on national duty. He will participate in South Africa's series against the Netherlands and will miss SRH's opening contest of this season.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) regular captain Shreyas Iyer is currently out of action due to a back injury and is expected to miss most of the season. KKR management recently appointed Nitish Rana as the stand-in captain.
The Indian Premiere League's official Instagram handle gave fans a glimpse of the captains' photo shoot with the trophy by sharing a couple of snaps. They captioned the post:
"Game Face 🔛 ARE. YOU. READY for #TATAIPL 2023❓"
All the IPL captains arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium. https://t.co/1yLPAvfrh4
"Both are Orange Cap contenders in IPL 2023" - Aakash Chopra on LSG opening duo of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock
Former Indian opening batter Aakash Chopra opined that Lucknow Super Giants openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock are contenders for the Orange Cap in IPL 2023. He believes the duo will be the main pillars and engine room in the batting order this season.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra previewed the LSG squad ahead of the upcoming season and said:
"This team's runaway strength is their top order because both are Orange Cap contenders in IPL 2023 - whether it is KL Rahul or Quinton de Kock. The form Quinton de Kock is in, he scores his own century in 10 to 12 overs. KL Rahul has a point to prove. In a way, he does not have a point to prove because he remains close to the Orange Cap every year."
He added:
"If scoring 600 runs was that easy, anyone would do it but he does that. But there are many naysayers, so the critics become slightly silent if he has a good season. The multi-faceted players give depth to this team's batting lineup. You also see Ayush Badoni batting up or down the order at times. The top six to seven are still looking very, very good."
Do you agree with Aakash Chopra's views above? Sound off in the comments section.