IPL 2023: Predicting where each team will end up on the points table

The much-awaited 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is upon us. The T20 carnival is all set to kick-start on March 31 as the inaugural game will witness defending champions Gujarat Titans clash against the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. The final showdown of the marquee tournament will be held on May 28.

All ten franchises have many top-drawer players in their arsenal and any team on a given day can give the other a run for their money. However, on paper, there are certain teams who are more formidable than the others and have a good chance to finish at the top of the IPL 2023 points table at the end of the league stage.

Here we predict where each team will end up on the points table in IPL 2023:

10. Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals walked into the 2022 season of the cash-rich league as one of the consistent teams in the competition, having qualified for the knock stages on the last three occasions. However, they were mediocre with their outings and ended the season in the fifth position. It does seem that things could get worse for them this time around.

Ahead of IPL 2023, the Capitals have suffered a major blow as Rishabh Pant is all set to miss the marquee event. His absence would create a big hole in the middle order and the think tank could find it tough to find an ideal candidate to fill his shoes as a wicketkeeper-batter.

One more fact that could haunt Delhi is the lack of multi-faceted cricketers in the team. Apart from Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav, the team does not have players who could contribute in both departments on a consistent basis. Mitchell Marsh does not bowl much to manage his workload and it could affect the balance of the team.

Delhi do have many match-winners in the ranks such as Prithvi Shaw, stand-in skipper David Warner, Marsh, Rilee Roussow, Axar, Kuldeep Yadav and Anrich Nortje. The team management would hope they deliver the goods in the T20 extravaganza.  However, things could look grim for the team if the big guns do not fire and one could witness DC languishing at the bottom of the table.