IPL 2023 Fantasy League: Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - GT vs CSK | IPL Fantasy Tips

We're a sleep away from the start of the 16th edition of the IPL, with the defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on four-time winners Chennai Super Kings in the curtain-raiser on Friday, March 31, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Top-notch cricketing action is not the only thing that's returning this evening, with the annual season-long IPL Fantasy league also having its first deadline. Powered by Dream11 once again, not much has changed with regards to how the game functions, although there are a couple of neat rule changes.

On that note, let's look at the best fantasy team for the inaugural game of IPL 2023.

Transfer Deadline: 07:30 pm on Friday, March 31.

Note: The suggested team is subject to change depending on the toss or other unexpected team news. Any such changes will be updated in the articles for the next match.

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IPL Fantasy 2023 - Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - GT vs CSK: Thoughts and Captaincy Tips

Best IPL 2023 Fantasy Team for Match 1 - GT vs CSK

Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan (MI) (WK) (9 Credits) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (KKR) (WK) (8 Credits).

Batters: Mayank Agarwal (SRH) (BAT) (9 Credits), Shubman Gill (GT) (BAT) (9.5 Credits), and Prithvi Shaw (DC) (BAT) (9 Credits).

All-Rounders: Sam Curran (ALL) (PBKS) (9.5 Credits), Ravindra Jadeja (ALL) (CSK) (10 Credits), and Hardik Pandya (ALL) (GT) (11 Credits).

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (BOWL) (PBKS) (8.5 Credits), Ravi Bishnoi (BOWL) (LSG) (8.5 Credits), and Shivam Mavi (BOWL) (GT) (8 Credits).

The most noticeable factor about this season of IPL Fantasy is how the prices have become more competitive. It isn't easy to accommodate more than two players costing more than 10 or 10.5 credits in a team unless we find cheap uncapped enablers.

However, with the injury crisis and player unavailability that's plaguing almost every team for the first few matches, it's becoming hard to predict which players are locked in and sure to play. With the Impact Player rule also likely to reduce the importance all-rounders may have on a match, is it time to rethink strategies on whether all-rounders are the best fantasy options?

There were a lot of such questions in my mind as I drafted this team, but what I'm really trying to do is ensure that every player I pick features in their respective sides' playing XI for their first match.

As always, I'm playing it tentatively for the first match, picking only four players from it. I have three players from Match 2 between PBKS and KKR, two from the LSG-DC clash, and one each from Matches 4 and 5.

Ishan Kishan and Rahmanullah Gurbaz are my wicket-keepers, and while I am excited about the differential potential Gurbaz has, I'm not that convinced by Ishan ahead of this first match.

The reason I'm not going for Cameron Green or another all-rounder instead is that having an all-rounder who's not going to play for another four matches could end up blocking other potential moves I'd wanna make. However, with RCB missing Josh Hazlewood and Wanindu Hasaranga in the first match, I'm hoping Ishan can break free from his poor run of form and make it rain sixes in Bangalore.

Mayank Agarwal and Prithvi Shaw are two players I expect to be dependable run-scorers this season at a pretty affordable price. While both players have a tendency to go over aggressive at times and play one shot too many, this feels like a season where both the players will shine.

Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh are my picks from PBKS, and I feel they will deliver the points as PBKS take on an out-of-sorts KKR side. KKR is probably the best opposition for a team like PBKS to take on in the season opener, with Shikhar Dhawan's team itself not the best on paper.

However, that KKR batting lineup definitely looks fragile without Shreyas Iyer, and Arshdeep and Curran could well be among the wickets. As for Ravi Bishnoi, he's one of KL Rahul's most trusted bowlers, and on a spin-friendly venue like the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium in Lucknow, he could prove to be handful.

Now coming to the players featuring in the GT-CSK clash, I've tried to play it extra safe and have picked players I'm sure will feature. Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, and Shubman Gill are core members of their respective teams and are sure to play. While I wanted Mohammed Shami as my fourth pick, I'm going with GT's ₹6 Crore buy, Shivam Mavi.

While I could go with either Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali over Jadeja, there's not a lot of clarity on where either of them will bat or if they'll have any role with the ball, and considering the form he's in, it's easier to back Rockstar.

Captaincy for Match 1:

While Hardik Pandya seems like the natural choice for captaincy, there's something telling me he won't be bowling as much this season. Hardik reduced his overs towards the end of IPL 2022, trusting five full-time bowlers. He likes bowling with the new ball, but with Mavi and Shami vying to bowl at the top, he might back them and cut down on his overs.

That slightly reduces his appeal as a captaincy option, with Jadeja and Shubman Gill looking more attractive. Gill scored a 63-ball 126 the last time he played a T20 at this venue, and he could well be my captain in this match.

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IPL Fantasy 2023 - Best Fantasy XI for Match 1 - GT vs CSK: Final Lineup

Wicketkeepers: Ishan Kishan (MI) (WK) (9 Credits) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (KKR) (WK) (8 Credits).

Batters: Mayank Agarwal (SRH) (BAT) (9 Credits), Shubman Gill (GT) (BAT) (9.5 Credits), and Prithvi Shaw (DC) (BAT) (9 Credits).

All-Rounders: Sam Curran (ALL) (PBKS) (9.5 Credits), Ravindra Jadeja (ALL) (CSK) (10 Credits), and Hardik Pandya (ALL) (GT) (11 Credits).

Bowlers: Arshdeep Singh (BOWL) (PBKS) (8.5 Credits), Ravi Bishnoi (BOWL) (LSG) (8.5 Credits), and Shivam Mavi (BOWL) (GT) (8 Credits).

Note: Players in bold are likely to feature in this match.