The 16th edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) is set to begin at the end of this month. After a long COVID-imposed hiatus, the ten teams will finally get to play matches at their home grounds. This will be the first time after the addition of the two new franchises that the IPL will be played in its full-fledged home and away format with all the ten teams playing eight of their total matches at their pre-assigned home grounds.&nbsp;

The previous seasons were being held behind closed doors at neutral venues. While bulk of the IPL post the outbreak of COVID-19 had to be shifted to the UAE, it returned to India last year only to be played across a few venues in Maharasthra. The IPL 2023 title was won by the Hardik Pandya-led<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/ipl-2023-defending-champions-gujarat-titans-unveil-their-revamped-jersey/"> Gujarat Titans</a> (GT) after defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. The defending champions will be hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The IPL has always been a swashbuckling affair as players across franchises put their best foot forward to make for themselves a name in one of the world's most viewed tournaments. As the stage is almost set for the mega tournament to kickstart on March 31, we look at 5 players who could leave a mark in the very first match of the upcoming tournament.&nbsp;

Here are the 5 players to watch out for during the first encounter of IPL 2023

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/hardik-pandya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardik Pandya</a>, who played for Mumbai Indians (MI) since 2015, was not retained by the five-time champions ahead of the 2022 IPL Player Auction. However, he then joined the newly formed franchise Gujarat Titans and also took up captaincy duties for them in their maiden tournament.

Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals to win the IPL title in their maiden season. After leading the Ahmedabad-based franchise to the title, the 29-year-old became the first captain after Shane Warne to win the tournament with a team in its first year itself.&nbsp;

The all-rounder led his side from the front, more with bat than the ball, throughout the season. He was the fourth-highest run scorer in the 2022 IPL season scoring 487 runs from 15 matches. However, he could only manage to pick up eight wickets in the previous season. As Gujarat buck up for their campaign initiator under Pandya's captaincy, the skipper would be raring to take field and play an impactful innings to start things off in style.

Afghanistan T20I skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/rashid-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rashid Khan</a> has established himself as one of the leading T20 players in the world. The all-rounder has been exceptional with his leg-spin and economical bowling. He started his IPL career in 2017 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He showed his excellence in his debut season itself as he finished the tournament as the sixth-highest wicket-taker.&nbsp;

After an impressive four-year stint with SRH, the Afghan international was bought by the newcomers Gujarat Titans. The 24-year-old all-rounder won his maiden IPL title with GT in 2022. He picked up 19 wickets and finished as the ninth highest wicket-taker in the last season.&nbsp;

Rashid is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, scalping 126 wickets from 77 games, which includes four four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. Apart from IPL, he also plays in the Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, Pakistan Super League (PSL), and International League T20 (ILT20). On March 31 when Gujarat Titans meet Chennai Super Kings, he is definitely going to pose a threat to the opposition and may deliver one of the most impactful performances of the first day.

England all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/moeen-ali/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moeen Ali</a> was retained by the four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2023 IPL season. The southpaw could only score 244 runs and take eight wickets in the 2022 season, in which CSK finished ninth out of the total ten teams.

Ali serves as the vice-captain for England in limited-overs cricket. The 37-year-old was part of the Jos Butler-led England team that won the ICC T20 World Cup last year, defeating Pakistan in the final. &nbsp;

Earlier, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2018 to 2021. The all-rounder has played a total of 44 matches in the IPL where he has amassed 910 runs at an average of 23.33. He has also picked up 24 wickets at an economy of 6.79. He can turn tables around for his side with his swashbuckling shots and spin-bowling tricks with the new ball, something that was leveraged well by RCB. If at his best, he can definitely be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja </a>is one of the best players in the CSK setup. He made his debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first-ever season of the IPL and played an important role in their victory in the final against CSK. The then RR skipper, the late Shane Warne referred to the Indian all-rounder as a "superstar in the making".

He joined CSK in 2012 since when, he has had a magnificent spell with the MS Dhoni-led side. He has picked up a total of 105 wickets in the tournament so far, bulk of which have come in the yellow jersey. The 34-year-old was named the captain of the four-time champions last year. Unfortunately, he stepped down from the role and gave back the captaincy to Dhoni.

One of the best spinners in the IPL, Jadeja is currently engaged in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy where too, he has emerged as one of the most valuable players for India. For his match-winning performances, the Jamnagar-born all-rounder was adjudged 'Player of the Match' in both the first two Tests. Looking at his current form, it can be safely assumed that the 34-year old is going to be one of the most impactful players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

1. Shubman Gill - (Gujarat Titans)&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ind-vs-aus-shubman-gill-joins-elite-list-of-cricketers-with-tons-across-all-formats-in-calendar-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shubman Gill</a> is currently one of the finest openers in the game. He joined Gujarat Titans last year after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2022 auctions. Gill won his maiden IPL title with the Titans in 2022 and was rightfully retained by the franchise for the upcoming season as well.

In the 2022 IPL, he scored 483 runs from 16 matches for the Titans and finished fifth in the list of the highest run scorers, behind skipper Hardik Pandya.&nbsp;

He is now playing for the Indian Test team which is taking part in the fourth and final Test against Australia. The 23-year-old who came in as a replacement for KL Rahul in the third Test, scored a century in the final Test, thus bearing testimony of his red-hot form. Carrying his current form into the mega-tournament could make Gill one of the highest run scorers in the upcoming season and would therefore, be one of the most important players to watch out for in the first match.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/crictracker/id6443913175">IOS App Store</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.crictracker">Google Play Store</a>

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Here are the 5 players to watch out for during the first encounter of IPL 2023

The 16th edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) is set to begin at the end of this month. After a long COVID-imposed hiatus, the ten teams will finally get to play matches at their home grounds. This will be the first time after the addition of the two new franchises that the IPL will be played in its full-fledged home and away format with all the ten teams playing eight of their total matches at their pre-assigned home grounds.&nbsp;
The previous seasons were being held behind closed doors at neutral venues. While bulk of the IPL post the outbreak of COVID-19 had to be shifted to the UAE, it returned to India last year only to be played across a few venues in Maharasthra. The IPL 2023 title was won by the Hardik Pandya-led<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/ipl-2023-defending-champions-gujarat-titans-unveil-their-revamped-jersey/"> Gujarat Titans</a> (GT) after defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. The defending champions will be hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The IPL has always been a swashbuckling affair as players across franchises put their best foot forward to make for themselves a name in one of the world's most viewed tournaments. As the stage is almost set for the mega tournament to kickstart on March 31, we look at 5 players who could leave a mark in the very first match of the upcoming tournament.&nbsp;
<h3>Here are the 5 players to watch out for during the first encounter of IPL 2023</h3>
<h3>5. Hardik Pandya- (Gujarat Titans)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1678634677992_Hardik-Pandya.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/hardik-pandya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardik Pandya</a>, who played for Mumbai Indians (MI) since 2015, was not retained by the five-time champions ahead of the 2022 IPL Player Auction. However, he then joined the newly formed franchise Gujarat Titans and also took up captaincy duties for them in their maiden tournament.
Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals to win the IPL title in their maiden season. After leading the Ahmedabad-based franchise to the title, the 29-year-old became the first captain after Shane Warne to win the tournament with a team in its first year itself.&nbsp;
The all-rounder led his side from the front, more with bat than the ball, throughout the season. He was the fourth-highest run scorer in the 2022 IPL season scoring 487 runs from 15 matches. However, he could only manage to pick up eight wickets in the previous season. As Gujarat buck up for their campaign initiator under Pandya's captaincy, the skipper would be raring to take field and play an impactful innings to start things off in style.

<h3>4. Rashid Khan- (Gujarat Titans)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1678637220076_Rashid-Khan.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
Afghanistan T20I skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/rashid-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rashid Khan</a> has established himself as one of the leading T20 players in the world. The all-rounder has been exceptional with his leg-spin and economical bowling. He started his IPL career in 2017 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He showed his excellence in his debut season itself as he finished the tournament as the sixth-highest wicket-taker.&nbsp;
After an impressive four-year stint with SRH, the Afghan international was bought by the newcomers Gujarat Titans. The 24-year-old all-rounder won his maiden IPL title with GT in 2022. He picked up 19 wickets and finished as the ninth highest wicket-taker in the last season.&nbsp;
Rashid is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, scalping 126 wickets from 77 games, which includes four four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. Apart from IPL, he also plays in the Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, Pakistan Super League (PSL), and International League T20 (ILT20). On March 31 when Gujarat Titans meet Chennai Super Kings, he is definitely going to pose a threat to the opposition and may deliver one of the most impactful performances of the first day.

<h3>3. Moeen Ali - (CSK)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Moeen-Ali-2.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
England all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/moeen-ali/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moeen Ali</a> was retained by the four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2023 IPL season. The southpaw could only score 244 runs and take eight wickets in the 2022 season, in which CSK finished ninth out of the total ten teams.
Ali serves as the vice-captain for England in limited-overs cricket. The 37-year-old was part of the Jos Butler-led England team that won the ICC T20 World Cup last year, defeating Pakistan in the final. &nbsp;
Earlier, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2018 to 2021. The all-rounder has played a total of 44 matches in the IPL where he has amassed 910 runs at an average of 23.33. He has also picked up 24 wickets at an economy of 6.79. He can turn tables around for his side with his swashbuckling shots and spin-bowling tricks with the new ball, something that was leveraged well by RCB. If at his best, he can definitely be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

<h3>2. Ravindra Jadeja - (CSK)</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1663225361324_Jadeja.jpeg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja </a>is one of the best players in the CSK setup. He made his debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first-ever season of the IPL and played an important role in their victory in the final against CSK. The then RR skipper, the late Shane Warne referred to the Indian all-rounder as a "superstar in the making".
He joined CSK in 2012 since when, he has had a magnificent spell with the MS Dhoni-led side. He has picked up a total of 105 wickets in the tournament so far, bulk of which have come in the yellow jersey. The 34-year-old was named the captain of the four-time champions last year. Unfortunately, he stepped down from the role and gave back the captaincy to Dhoni.
One of the best spinners in the IPL, Jadeja is currently engaged in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy where too, he has emerged as one of the most valuable players for India. For his match-winning performances, the Jamnagar-born all-rounder was adjudged 'Player of the Match' in both the first two Tests. Looking at his current form, it can be safely assumed that the 34-year old is going to be one of the most impactful players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

<h3>1. Shubman Gill - (Gujarat Titans)&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
<amp-img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Shubman-Gill2.jpg" alt width="640" height="400" layout="responsive" style="max-width: 100%; margin: 0;"></amp-img>
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ind-vs-aus-shubman-gill-joins-elite-list-of-cricketers-with-tons-across-all-formats-in-calendar-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shubman Gill</a> is currently one of the finest openers in the game. He joined Gujarat Titans last year after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2022 auctions. Gill won his maiden IPL title with the Titans in 2022 and was rightfully retained by the franchise for the upcoming season as well.
In the 2022 IPL, he scored 483 runs from 16 matches for the Titans and finished fifth in the list of the highest run scorers, behind skipper Hardik Pandya.&nbsp;
He is now playing for the Indian Test team which is taking part in the fourth and final Test against Australia. The 23-year-old who came in as a replacement for KL Rahul in the third Test, scored a century in the final Test, thus bearing testimony of his red-hot form. Carrying his current form into the mega-tournament could make Gill one of the highest run scorers in the upcoming season and would therefore, be one of the most important players to watch out for in the first match.
For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/crictracker/id6443913175">IOS App Store</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.crictracker">Google Play Store</a>

The 16th edition of the <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/t20/ipl-indian-premier-league/">Indian Premier League</a> (IPL) is set to begin at the end of this month. After a long COVID-imposed hiatus, the ten teams will finally get to play matches at their home grounds. This will be the first time after the addition of the two new franchises that the IPL will be played in its full-fledged home and away format with all the ten teams playing eight of their total matches at their pre-assigned home grounds.&nbsp;
The previous seasons were being held behind closed doors at neutral venues. While bulk of the IPL post the outbreak of COVID-19 had to be shifted to the UAE, it returned to India last year only to be played across a few venues in Maharasthra. The IPL 2023 title was won by the Hardik Pandya-led<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/ipl-2023-defending-champions-gujarat-titans-unveil-their-revamped-jersey/"> Gujarat Titans</a> (GT) after defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final. The defending champions will be hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
The IPL has always been a swashbuckling affair as players across franchises put their best foot forward to make for themselves a name in one of the world's most viewed tournaments. As the stage is almost set for the mega tournament to kickstart on March 31, we look at 5 players who could leave a mark in the very first match of the upcoming tournament.&nbsp;
<h3>Here are the 5 players to watch out for during the first encounter of IPL 2023</h3>
<h3>5. Hardik Pandya- (Gujarat Titans)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1678634677992_Hardik-Pandya.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/hardik-pandya/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardik Pandya</a>, who played for Mumbai Indians (MI) since 2015, was not retained by the five-time champions ahead of the 2022 IPL Player Auction. However, he then joined the newly formed franchise Gujarat Titans and also took up captaincy duties for them in their maiden tournament.
Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals to win the IPL title in their maiden season. After leading the Ahmedabad-based franchise to the title, the 29-year-old became the first captain after Shane Warne to win the tournament with a team in its first year itself.&nbsp;
The all-rounder led his side from the front, more with bat than the ball, throughout the season. He was the fourth-highest run scorer in the 2022 IPL season scoring 487 runs from 15 matches. However, he could only manage to pick up eight wickets in the previous season. As Gujarat buck up for their campaign initiator under Pandya's captaincy, the skipper would be raring to take field and play an impactful innings to start things off in style.

<h3>4. Rashid Khan- (Gujarat Titans)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1678637220076_Rashid-Khan.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
Afghanistan T20I skipper <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/rashid-khan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rashid Khan</a> has established himself as one of the leading T20 players in the world. The all-rounder has been exceptional with his leg-spin and economical bowling. He started his IPL career in 2017 with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He showed his excellence in his debut season itself as he finished the tournament as the sixth-highest wicket-taker.&nbsp;
After an impressive four-year stint with SRH, the Afghan international was bought by the newcomers Gujarat Titans. The 24-year-old all-rounder won his maiden IPL title with GT in 2022. He picked up 19 wickets and finished as the ninth highest wicket-taker in the last season.&nbsp;
Rashid is the third-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, scalping 126 wickets from 77 games, which includes four four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls. Apart from IPL, he also plays in the Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, Pakistan Super League (PSL), and International League T20 (ILT20). On March 31 when Gujarat Titans meet Chennai Super Kings, he is definitely going to pose a threat to the opposition and may deliver one of the most impactful performances of the first day.

<h3>3. Moeen Ali - (CSK)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/Moeen-Ali-2.jpg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
England all-rounder <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/moeen-ali/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moeen Ali</a> was retained by the four-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the 2023 IPL season. The southpaw could only score 244 runs and take eight wickets in the 2022 season, in which CSK finished ninth out of the total ten teams.
Ali serves as the vice-captain for England in limited-overs cricket. The 37-year-old was part of the Jos Butler-led England team that won the ICC T20 World Cup last year, defeating Pakistan in the final. &nbsp;
Earlier, he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) from 2018 to 2021. The all-rounder has played a total of 44 matches in the IPL where he has amassed 910 runs at an average of 23.33. He has also picked up 24 wickets at an economy of 6.79. He can turn tables around for his side with his swashbuckling shots and spin-bowling tricks with the new ball, something that was leveraged well by RCB. If at his best, he can definitely be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

<h3>2. Ravindra Jadeja - (CSK)</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/attachments/1663225361324_Jadeja.jpeg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-players/ravindra-jadeja/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ravindra Jadeja </a>is one of the best players in the CSK setup. He made his debut for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the first-ever season of the IPL and played an important role in their victory in the final against CSK. The then RR skipper, the late Shane Warne referred to the Indian all-rounder as a "superstar in the making".
He joined CSK in 2012 since when, he has had a magnificent spell with the MS Dhoni-led side. He has picked up a total of 105 wickets in the tournament so far, bulk of which have come in the yellow jersey. The 34-year-old was named the captain of the four-time champions last year. Unfortunately, he stepped down from the role and gave back the captaincy to Dhoni.
One of the best spinners in the IPL, Jadeja is currently engaged in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy where too, he has emerged as one of the most valuable players for India. For his match-winning performances, the Jamnagar-born all-rounder was adjudged 'Player of the Match' in both the first two Tests. Looking at his current form, it can be safely assumed that the 34-year old is going to be one of the most impactful players to watch out for in the upcoming IPL season.

<h3>1. Shubman Gill - (Gujarat Titans)&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
<img src="https://media.crictracker.com/media/featureimage/Shubman-Gill2.jpg" alt="" width="640" loading="lazy">
<a href="https://www.crictracker.com/social-tracker-cricket/ind-vs-aus-shubman-gill-joins-elite-list-of-cricketers-with-tons-across-all-formats-in-calendar-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shubman Gill</a> is currently one of the finest openers in the game. He joined Gujarat Titans last year after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2022 auctions. Gill won his maiden IPL title with the Titans in 2022 and was rightfully retained by the franchise for the upcoming season as well.
In the 2022 IPL, he scored 483 runs from 16 matches for the Titans and finished fifth in the list of the highest run scorers, behind skipper Hardik Pandya.&nbsp;
He is now playing for the Indian Test team which is taking part in the fourth and final Test against Australia. The 23-year-old who came in as a replacement for KL Rahul in the third Test, scored a century in the final Test, thus bearing testimony of his red-hot form. Carrying his current form into the mega-tournament could make Gill one of the highest run scorers in the upcoming season and would therefore, be one of the most important players to watch out for in the first match.
For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the <a href="https://apps.apple.com/in/app/crictracker/id6443913175">IOS App Store</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.crictracker">Google Play Store</a> 
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The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to begin at the end of this month. After a long COVID-imposed hiatus, the ten teams will finally get to play matches at their home grounds. T

5 players to watch out for during 1st encounter of IPL 2023

IPL 2023 will commence on March 31 when defending champions Gujarat Titans take on four-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium.

IPL 2023: 5 players to watch out for in tournament opener

Here are 5 players to watch out for during the first encounter of IPL 2023. Click here for more details.