The 2023 IPL is fast approaching, and with Rishabh Pant missing the competition through injury, the word is that David Warner is set to be named as stand-in captain of the Delhi Capitals. With the Capitals currently the second favorites to win the competition, could Warner's additional experience be the small gain required to help the Capitals win their first ever IPL title?
- The 2023 Indian Premier League starts on March 31st. It ends on May 28th with the final in Ahmedabad
- 10 teams take part, playing a total of 74 matches. First up is the round-robin group, followed by playoffs
- Gujarat Giants are the defending champions. They defeated the Rajasthan Royals in last year’s final to win their first title
Betting to win the 2023 IPL
Before we look in more detail at the Capitals chances of winning the IPL, let's see where they sit in the betting to win this year’s competition,
The Gujarat Titans are the defending champions, and they are also the favorites with the best cricket betting online sites to win the IPL again in 2023. It was an amazing achievement for the Titans to win last year's crown, as it was only their first year in existence.
The Titans are +500 to win the IPL again this year. That puts them just ahead of the Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals. They both have cricket betting odds of +600 to win the IPL.
Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore are joint fourth in the betting at +650, and then comes the Lucknow Super Giants at +750. Full betting can be found below in our odds table. These odds are taken from the best sites for cricket betting, you can learn more about these sites on our top online sportsbook reviews page.
| 2023 IPL Winner Betting Odds |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gujarat Tigers | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Delhi Capitals | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Mumbai Indians | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Rajasthan Royal | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | +650 | +650 | +650 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | +750 | +750 | +750 |
| Punjab Kings | +800 | +800 | +800 |
| Chennai Super Kings | +900 | +900 | +900 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 |
Pant’s injury shocked the world of cricket
The loss of Rishabh Pant was a setback for the Delhi Capitals. The wicketkeeper-batter was lucky to escape with his life from the car crash that ruled him out for the foreseeable future. But in the world of sport, life goes on. With Pant now well on the road to recovery, his IPL franchise team have had to turn their attention to finding a new captain - amongst other things - for the 2023 season.
Pant will be a loss, of that there is no doubt. With the exception of Jos Buttler, there is probably no other wicketkeeper-batter in the world that could come close to replacing Pant. But when it comes to captaincy, the loss of Pant can be compensated for.
Rishabh Pant was still learning his trade as a captain when his cricket career was temporarily halted. He was far from the finished article, and was more of an inspirational leader, than a tactical captain. So does the possibility of David Warner leading the side make a wager on the Capitals look a better bet?
Warner turns the Capitals into a value +600 betting pick
David Warner is 36 years of age. He has vast experience having played over 300 times across all three formats for Australia. He has also played in the IPL since 2009, winning the Orange Cap (top run scorer) three times, and amassing over 5000 IPL runs.
Although Warner’s captaincy chances have been limited - for a number of reasons - for his international side, he has regularly captained in the IPL. He was appointed captain of the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015. And under his leadership they won the IPL title in 2016.
CHAMPIONS #IPLfinal pic.twitter.com/BnLETX8bM7
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 29, 2016
He only relinquished the leaders role in 2018, due to his involvement in the ball tampering scandal. This would also lead to his eventual suspension. But even after that, such are his skills in the role, SRH reappointed him as captain again in 2020 when the franchise was struggling.
A cricketing decision
If a franchise owner was starting out with a blank sheet of paper and had David Warner and Rishabh Pant in his squad, on a purely cricketing basis, Warner would have to be the call to be the captain. He has everything required to be a leader, man-management skills, winning mentality, and most importantly, experience and know how.
In India the IPL stretches beyond cricket. Rishabh Pant was already an Indian icon, and from a commercial perspective, it made total sense to make him captain. But for unfortunate reasons, he is not available this year, and making Warner captain in his absence makes perfect sense, from a cricketing perspective.
As we’re already said, losing Rishabh Pant is a blow for the Capitals, it almost certainly weakens the playing team. But he can be replaced behind the stumps. And the Capitals can also sign a batter to take his place in the squad.
One thing you won’t hear said out loud by many close to the franchise is that having Warner in charge strengthens the team leadership. It gives them that edge in the crucial moments in a tight game. And that could be the difference between winning and losing that crucial match.
Warner’s CV speaks for itself. And it makes the Delhi Capitals a far better bet to win the IPL at +600.
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