Week four of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is also behind us. Four teams – Rajasthan Royals (RR), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gujarat Titans (GT) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – were on 10 points after week four of the competition. RR were table-toppers due to a superior net run rate. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) were fifth and sixth, respectively, with eight points each. Looking at the bottom of the points table, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) were seventh and eighth with six points each, while Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Delhi Capitals (DC) were at the bottom with four points each. Now, here is the team of IPL 2023 for week four.
Openers: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jason Roy
RR’s Yashasvi Jaiswal and KKR’s Jason Roy will open the innings for the dream team. They form a dynamic combo as well as a left-right combination. Jaiswal was in tremendous form for Rajasthan. After cracking 47 off 37 against RCB, he was the Player of the Match for 77 off 43 in the win over Chennai Super Kings.
Roy hammered brilliant fifties for KKR in both matches of the week. He smashed 61 off only 26 balls, hitting five fours and as many sixes in the loss to CSK. Against RCB, his 56 off 29, which included four fours and five sixes, lifted the team to a 21-run win.
Middle order: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Glenn Maxwell, Shivam Dube, Dhruv Jurel (wk)
A bit of a surprise here, but CSK batter and experienced cricketer Ajinkya Rahane will lead the team of week four. Rahane’s unbeaten 71 off 29 against KKR was a special effort, featuring six fours and five sixes. There were some scoops as well, quite unlike Rahane.
RCB swashbuckler Glenn Maxwell makes the squad for his match-winning 77 off 44 balls versus RR. His knock, which included six fours and four sixes, allowed Bangalore to post what turned out to be a match-winning total of 189 against RR.
CSK left-hander Shivam Dube also finds a place in the team. He crossed the fifties in both matches of the week. His 50 came off only 21 balls against KKR. In the 32-run loss against RR, he smashed 52 off 33 balls, hitting four sixes.
Young RR batter Dhruv Jurel is the keeper-batter in the team. Against Bangalore, he smashed an unbeaten 34 off only 16 balls, even as his team faltered in a chase of 190. His 34 off 15 balls against CSK came in a winning cause as RR beat CSK by a 32-run margin.
All-rounders & bowlers: Marcus Stoinis, Noor Ahmad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthyarshd
LSG all-rounder Marcus Stoinis made an exceptional batting effort as his team notched up the second-highest total of IPL 2023. Stoinis cracked 72 off 40 balls with the help of six fours and five sixes against PBKS. He also claimed the big wicket of Punjab skipper Shikhar Dhawan.
GT left-arm Noor Ahmad was hugely impressive with his variations. He claimed 3/31 against Mumbai, dismissing Cameron Green, Tim David and Suryakumar Yadav to put MI on the backfoot. SRH senior pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled an incredible spell of 2/11 in four overs against DC. He had Phil Salt caught behind in the first over and later cleaned up Axar Patel with a yorker – a terrific effort in a losing cause.
PBKS left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh makes the cut for his wicket-breaking four-wicket haul against Mumbai. Arshdeep dismissed Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav before knocking over Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera.
KKR’s Varun Chakravarthy will be the leg-spinner in the dream XI for week four. His 3/27 against RCB saw KKR register a rare win in the competition. He got the scalps of Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik.