3 teams with the most difficult ending matches in IPL 2023 schedule

The schedule for the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was unveiled on Friday, February 17. Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to get the tournament underway.

The 2023 season also brings back the home-and-away format for the first time since 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic confined the tournament to either overseas venues in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or select grounds in India.

The re-introduction of the system brings a whole different dynamic to it, considering that players will have to adapt a lot more often and their campaign will also involve a lot more travel.

Teams generally prefer favorable fixtures, despite the IPL offering no freebies in terms of quality of the opposition, towards the end of the campaign. An ideal set of matches towards the business end of the tournament, allows them to make a final push towards the top half of the table if they are in the hunt for the playoffs or allows the dominant teams to continue their momentum heading into the knockout stage.

On that note, let’s take a look at three such franchises that have been dealt a hard hand to close out the IPL league stages.

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#1 Gujarat Titans (GT)

The defending champions defied all odds in the previous season and expectations will be high this time around.

The Hardik Pandya-led side will officially play their first home game of the 2023 season, but it will not be their first outing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Their triumph in IPL 2022 came at the venue after beating the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the final.

GT will, however, have a tough time on paper towards the end of the league stage. As scheduled, they will have to face the Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) away from home on May 12 and May 21, respectively.

The Wankhede Stadium and the Chinnaswamy Stadium have proven to be tough venues for the visiting team over the years, with the atmosphere playing a key role.

They also have a home clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on May 15.

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#2 Punjab Kings (PBKS)

The Punjab Kings are set for a new era, having replaced their captain and coach ahead of the 2023 season. Shikhar Dhawan and Trevor Bayliss will lead the proceedings for PBKS, who have struggled to breach the barrier to the playoffs in the recent past.

Their path once again might be difficult, despite the historic acquisition in the form of Sam Curran at the IPL 2023 mini-auction. The Kings' last three fixtures include two back-to-back contests against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and one against the Rajasthan Royals.

While two of those matches are 'home' contests, the catch here is that PBKS will not be playing at their current home venue, the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. Instead, the team is scheduled to play at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala.

The venue was recently allotted for the third Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the stadium's ongoing outfield and pitch revamp prevented it from hosting, leading to the contest being shifted to the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

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#3 Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

LSG were dominant in the league stages during IPL 2022 but lost two of their last three matches to surrender the top spot by a difference of +0.047 in the net run rate.

The slip proved to be crucial as they were knocked out in the IPL 2022 Eliminator clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Eden Gardens.

The KL Rahul-led side will begin their campaign with their first-ever home match at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. They are scheduled to face the Delhi Capitals on April 1.

LSG have a tricky set of fixtures waiting for them towards the end of the league stage. They will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) away from home, host the Mumbai Indians for their final home game and then visit Kolkata for their last league match.

The five-time champions are known for their surge towards the business end, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata is among the toughest places for an opposition franchise to visit.

Who will win IPL 2023? Let us know what you think.

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