DC vs KKR Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2023 match?

Without regular skipper Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals (DC) have plunged to the depths of despair in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

DC are winless in five games and have a net run rate of -1.488, understandably the worst in the competition. They've found ways to lose games from winning positions and have also been out of contests right from the start.

The Capitals will look to put their first points on the board when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 28 of IPL 2023 on Thursday, April 20.

KKR are also without their regular skipper, with Shreyas Iyer having undergone surgery for a back issue. Their performances have been significantly better, though, having amassed two wins from five matches with a positive net run rate to show for.

The Knight Riders seem to be a fairly cohesive unit under new head coach Chandrakant Pandit. However, they have largely relied on individual brilliance this year, with collective performances being hard to come by.

Kolkata has scraped through to get a couple of wins but still have a long way to go before they can be called playoff contenders.

The recent head-to-head record is fairly even, with DC having won three of their last five clashes with KKR. The chasing side have expectedly won the majority of these matches (four).

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IPL 2023, DC vs KKR Match Prediction: Winless Delhi desperate for momentum

Rinku Singh has played a couple of special cameos for KKR this year

DC's troubles have stemmed from the top in IPL 2023. While David Warner has struggled to find the middle of his bat, Prithvi Shaw is yet to cross the 20-run mark in an innings this season. Mitchell Marsh, who missed a game in the middle, hasn't made any notable batting contributions either.

Rilee Rossouw, Manish Pandey, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Abishek Porel and Sarfaraz Khan have all manned the middle order without much success.

The Capitals simply need to find a way to put up big totals. Their best bet would be to hope that their top three deliver.

Luckily for DC, they'll be up against an opposition that has clear deficiencies in the bowling attack. KKR's pacers have been nothing short of woeful this year, with Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Shardul Thakur and Andre Russell all not performing to the best of their ability.

One factor that will play into the Knight Riders' hands is their spin trio of Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy and Suyash Sharma. DC's batting lineup isn't suited to take on the spinners, especially since they've steadfastly refused to promote Axar Patel up the order.

Nevertheless, the Capitals seem to be the better unit overall. They have a few lethal bowlers who can run through the Kolkata batting lineup, and several key players are due telling performances.

While KKR are certainly in with a chance, DC can be backed to open their IPL 2023 account on Thursday.

Prediction: DC to win Match 28 of IPL 2023.