The opening week of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is behind us. Looking at the points table after week 1, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) are in last position with two losses in as many games. Mumbai Indians (MI) played one in which they were beaten by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by eight wickets. Delhi Capitals (DC) also lost their first two matches. RCB, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won one and lost one of their two games. Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were unbeaten after week one, winning both of their games. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) played three – winning two and losing one. Here’s the IPL 2023 flop XI from week one.
Openers: KL Rahul (captain & wk), Prithvi Shaw
LSG skipper KL Rahul made a very poor start to IPL 2023. He played three matches in week one and managed only 63 runs at an average of 21 and a poor strike rate of 103.27. He got starts most times but just could carry on, looking out of sorts.
DC opener Prithvi Shaw began IPL 2023 with two low scores. He was bowled for 12 by Mark Wood against LSG and fell to the pull to Mohammed Shami against GT, having made only seven runs. Shaw just did not look like his natural self.
Middle-order: Mitchell Marsh, Mandeep Singh, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes
After a terrific white-ball tour of India, Mitchell Marsh found the going tough in week 1 of the IPL. He was bowled for a golden duck by Mark Wood against LSG and was bowled for 4 by Mohammed Shami against GT.
KKR’s Mandeep Singh too has made a horror start to the new IPL season. He was bowled for a first-ball duck against RCB and managed only two before being sent back by Arshdeep Singh against Punjab.
There were so many expectations from England’s Harry Brook, but the first two games proved to be an anti-climax. He struggled to 13 off 21 against RR and was eventually cleaned up by Yuzvendra Chahal. Another failure followed against LSG as he was stumped for three off Ravi Bishnoi’s bowling.
England’s Ben Stokes too has failed to kick off IPL 2023 on a positive note. He scored seven against GT before being caught behind off Rashid Khan. Stokes failed against LSG as well, perishing to Avesh Khan for 8.
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar
It’s been a while since Ravindra Jadeja made a significant contribution to CSK. He was dismissed in single-figure scores in both of Chennai’s matches in week one. He was out for 1 against GT and 3 against LSG, both times failing as a finisher. With the ball, he has just one wicket so far.
Washington Sundar has disappointed SRH with both bat and ball. He scored 1 against RR and labored to 16 off 28 against LSG. Sundar did not deliver with his off-spin as well. He registered figures of 0/32 and 0/11 in the two games in week one of IPL 2023.
Bowlers: Josh Little, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel
Ireland left-arm pacer Josh Little has had a tough initiation to the IPL, although he has given some glimpses of his talent. The 23-year-old registered figures of 1/41 against CSK and 0/27 against DC. He will only get better with experience.
The Indian duo of Deepak Chahar and Harshal Patel complete the flop XI of week one for IPL 2023. CSK’s Chahar had figures of 0/29 against Gujarat and was clobbered for 55 in four overs in the match against Lucknow.
RCB’s Harshal Patel went for runs in both matches. He had figures of 1/43 against Mumbai and 1/38 against Kolkata. In both games, he conceded runs when he was expected to stop the flow. The death-overs specialist is struggling.