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

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have fought hard in recent matches in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).

After losing key players like captain KL Rahul and express pacer Mark Wood, it seemed like LSG were bound to stutter in their playoff push. However, they've managed to dig deep and pull a couple of fighting performances out of their hat.

The Super Giants first relied on their big hitters to overcome the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) before edging out the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a last-over thriller. They find themselves on 15 points, level with the second-placed Chennai Super Kings (CSK), and have a good chance of finishing in the top two.

LSG will know, however, that they aren't even guaranteed a playoff berth as of now. They will need to beat the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Saturday, May 20, to qualify for the playoffs without banking on other results to go their way.

KKR have shown some fight of their own of late. Nitish Rana and Co. have taken six points away from their last four matches, with their last game being a gutsy win over CSK at Chepauk.

The Knight Riders, with 12 points to their name and a poor net run rate, only have an outside chance of making the playoffs. But they will be keen on signing off on a high in front of their home crowd.

LSG and KKR met twice in IPL 2022, with the former triumphing on both occasions while defending totals. One of those matches was a high-scoring thriller in which Quinton de Kock hammered a memorable unbeaten 140.

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IPL 2023, KKR vs LSG Match Prediction: Super Giants eye second successive playoff entry

Marcus Stoinis was the Player of the Match in LSG's previous game

Needless to say, spinners will play a big role at Eden Gardens. Both teams will come into this IPL 2023 game with a fair amount of confidence in their spin-bowling units.

Sunil Narine enjoyed the conditions at Chepauk to trouble the CSK batters in a vintage display, while Varun Chakaravarthy has been KKR's standout bowler this season. Suyash Sharma has been impressive in his debut season in the league, even if he has been expensive at times.

At the other end, Ravi Bishnoi broke a brief period of inconsistency with a match-changing spell in LSG's previous game. Krunal Pandya is an excellent defensive option, with the Super Giants have experimented with Krishnappa Gowtham, Swapnil Singh, and Amit Mishra as well.

Do LSG have the batting firepower to counter KKR's spinners? It's a question that's tough to answer. Marcus Stoinis and Quinton de Kock, among others, can struggle if the slower bowlers hit the right lengths. At the same time, the likes of Nicholas Pooran can smack them out of the park with ease.

Kolkata's batters have punched above their weight in IPL 2023, and it's safe to say that they won't be brushed aside easily. They will start as the underdogs against LSG but have a serious chance of upsetting their playoff push.

While the Super Giants are the better side, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Knight Riders give their home crowd something to cheer about.

Prediction: LSG to win Match 68 of IPL 2023.