Ranking the opening pairs of all 10 teams after IPL 2023 auction
Openers make or break IPL campaigns. In the 2022 season, each of the top-four teams had at least one of their opening batters in the top-10 run-scorers list.
Batting first, a team rely on their openers to get a feel of the pitch and bat accordingly. Again, in the second innings, it's the role of the first two to make sure the start is good enough to chase down the target. In the T20s, they set the pace in every match.
In 2022, the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) struggles emerged from the constant change of their opening combinations. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were so dependent on KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock that they failed whenever neither of them scored. Mumbai Indians' batting just couldn't get going because their openers struggled.
It's a balancing act to find the right two people to do the job together.
So below, we have ranked the opening combinations of each team for IPL 2023 based on factors including each batter's strike rate against pace and spin, their strike rate in the powerplay, their experience of playing together, recent form, and much more.
You can find the statistics in the spreadsheet here.
#1 Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals' (DC) opening combination of David Warner and Prithvi Shaw is immaculate. Warner is a T20 legend while Shaw is one of India's most promising batters who, for some reason, is being ignored by the national selectors.
Both have equally good stats against spin and pace (which are much better than their peers) and their roles are clearly defined in the first six overs. Right-hander Shaw takes on the bowlers from the get-go, while southpaw Warner, though not too far behind in his powerplay strike rate, is brilliant at building the innings.
Thanks to them, the Capitals recorded the best powerplay strike rate in IPL 2022.
The Australian recently scored a double hundred in the Test series against South Africa at home. Shaw, on the other hand, scored a chart-topping 332 runs for Mumbai in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at a strike rate of 181.42.
#2 Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals' (RR) Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal are second on the list by the barest of margins. Buttler and Jaiswal don't need to 'complement' each other, they are both equally explosive and make the best use of the powerplay every season.
England captain Buttler is rarely out of form while Jaiswal has knocked on the national team's doors with his 396 runs (average of around 80) in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and 266 runs at a strike rate of 141.48 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also scored a scintillating century for India 'A' in the two-Test series against Bangladesh 'A'.
Buttler has slowly but surely established himself as the best overseas batter in the IPL, while Jaiswal, though short on runs, has always looked close to a breakthrough season.
IPL 2023 could certainly be his year and who knows, they might challenge Warner and Shaw for the best opening partnership in the league.
#3 Punjab Kings
After the release of Mayank Agarwal, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will likely settle on new captain Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow as their opening combination.
They'll rely on Bairstow doing all the aggression in the powerplay while Dhawan takes his time. Dhawan's low strike rate against both pace (128.11) and spin (123.15) and overall in the powerplay (121.9) is a cause for concern.
While Dhawan has lost his place in the Indian team, Bairstow has been out of action for months due to injury. However, both are experienced run-scorers who've done consistently well in the last few seasons of the IPL and have the quality to give good starts for their fiery middle order to build on.
#4 SunRisers Hyderabad
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be one of the few teams with a new opening combination this year. Mayank will likely join hands with Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. Being the first Indian pairing on this list, their stats are interesting, with both having strike rates of 130 against fast bowling which soar to 140 against spin.
Good swing bowling can be an issue for both of them, but once they get through it, the duo should manage to pick out a few good partnerships.
They are behind the Kings because though in form, Sharma is inexperienced. Mayank endured a poor last season and hasn't played much cricket since. Neither has shown a penchant for playing long innings in the IPL. The latter's strike rate of just 121.03 in the powerplay is also a worry.
All the above pairs have played together before as well, so how this new partnership fares for SunRisers will be interesting to watch.
#5 Lucknow Super Giants
The biggest issue with Super Giants openers Rahul and de Kock is that although they are excellent against pace (both strike at over 140), they don't have a similar impact against spin (125.35 and 116.21, respectively).
Ideally, a team would like its openers to be like the Capitals and the Royals where there's no drop in quality with the bowling type. Else, they would want one to be great against pace and the other versus spin so they can pick which bowler to target. Both being bad against spin gives the opposition an easy way to target them.
Like in IPL 2022, Rahul got out to spin only once but scored at a strike rate of just 128 against them. Teams kept him under control with spin. The right-handed batter has been in poor form at the international level too - he also lost his vice-captaincy because of it - and De Kock hasn't had much game time of late either.
Both are brilliant against pace and better than a lot of other teams in the powerplay, but their spin weakness puts them fifth on this list.
#6 Chennai Super Kings
Another new pairing, Ben Stokes and Ruturaj Gaikwad, will also be intriguing to watch in action for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2023.
Gaikwad has been in jaw-dropping form in domestic tournaments and has also been in and around the Indian team. So far, though, he has been a slow starter in the IPL (strike rate of just 110.82 in the powerplay). He collects runs in heaps when in form but is more of an innings-builder than an all-out attacking batter.
The Super Kings will thus need Stokes to be aggressive. The left-handed Englishman cost them a lot of money at the IPL 2023 auction. He has good numbers as an opener, including a 60-ball 107*, but doesn't play regularly in that position for his national team. How we will perform at the spin-friendly Chepauk will be decisive.
#7 Gujarat Titans
Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) sorted out some positions at the IPL 2023 auction. However, they've shown trust in the young-and-veteran pairing of Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha to do the job for them at the top of the order.
Gill was brilliant in 2022, scoring 483 runs at a strike rate of 132.33 and Saha backed him up with 317 runs in 11 matches. The latter took on the role of going after the pacers in the powerplay while the former took on the spinners superbly.
Although the duo have their role divided well, not only is there a quality drop in Saha when compared to Stokes but there are also some other concerns that can't be ignored.
Gill's powerplay strike rate is still just over 120 and he still has some work to do on his batting against pacers. Saha, meanwhile, is now 38 and struggles a lot against spinners (strike rate of just 118.1) and hasn't played any competitive cricket in months. They are both right-handers, which isn't ideal either.
#8 Royal Challengers Bangalore
Both Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis have been top-drawer match-winners for their national teams. However, batting together as openers doesn't bring the best out of them for their team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
They didn't sign an opener in the IPL 2023 auction, which means Kohli is likely to continue at the top of the order. Although he has had some success while opening, there are other batters who make better use of the powerplay than him. His style of play makes him more suited to No. 3 which was visible in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
This creates multiple issues. Kohli's strike rate in the powerplay is just 114.14 and Du Plessis isn't much better at 128.08. Kohli's struggles against spin in every format have been common, but Du Plessis falters even more against slow bowling.
RCB would have been a much better team with a powerplay and spin-bashing opener partnering Du Plessis and Kohli coming next. Finn Allen is the perfect choice, but the team's combination doesn't allow them to play him.
Both right-handers are in good T20 form though, with Kohli scoring seven half-centuries and a hundred in his last 15 T20Is and Du Plessis recently smashing a 33-ball 68 in the Big Bash League.
#9 Mumbai Indians
There isn't much to separate Mumbai Indians' (MI) Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan from the above two. They have a similar problem against spin, but together they are slightly slower in the powerplay (117.49 and 123.23, respectively). They have a star-studded middle order but that'll also need at least some support from the top.
Rohit hasn't had a good IPL season in a long time and there have been rumors of him being slowly ousted from India's T20I side due to his form. Kishan recently scored an ODI double ton against Bangladesh but he isn't as established in T20Is. His 418 runs at a strike rate of 120 didn't justify his price tag of ₹ 15.25 crore either.
Kohli and Du Plessis' recent T20 form gives them a slight edge for the seventh spot.
#10 Kolkata Knight Riders
It could well be that the Kolkata Knight Riders will surprise everyone and lift the team to some big wins. But at this stage, they don't have much going for them.
Both Venkatesh Iyer, 28, and Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 21, have less experience in opening the innings than most of the others mentioned in this list. Iyer constantly shifted up and down the order in IPL 2022, hindering his form.
Their numbers are slightly better than Mumbai Indians but the sample size is small. Gurbaz hasn't even played in the IPL yet and the quality of bowlers he has faced in international cricket hasn't been at the IPL level either.
Their strike rate against spin and pace is complimentary and Gurbaz can carry Knight Riders' powerplay. But the pair will have to overcome their inexperience and weaknesses while getting used to playing together for the first time.
Also Read: Ranking SRH's top 10 buys at the IPL 2023 auction