India vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction: Who will win today's 2023 World Cup match?
World Cup action between India and Sri Lanka returns to the Wankhede in Mumbai, which hosted that legendary final in 2011. Twelve years later, the Men in Blue are on a quest to achieve the ultimate goal on home soil once again, and all signs point towards the possibility of them being successful.
With six wins on the trot, including memorable victories over Australia, England, New Zealand, and Pakistan, India are comfortably clear at the top of the 2023 World Cup points table. Their semifinal berth is all but secured, but they will not want any blips on their resume.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, have four losses in this year's tournament and are facing an uphill battle to compete for the four semifinal spots. Their squad looks almost unrecognizable from the one that was their first choice in ODIs ahead of the World Cup, with injuries and personnel changes ravaging their campaign.
The Lankan Lions have also lost their last five ODIs to India by comprehensive margins. In their most recent clash, in the 2023 Asia Cup final, they were bundled out for a paltry 50 before Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan chased down the target with a whopping 263 deliveries to spare.
Can India continue their excellent run? Or will Sri Lanka somehow manufacture an unprecedented result?
World Cup 2023: India firm favorites against Sri Lanka
Mohammed Siraj, the man who ran through Sri Lanka's batting lineup in the Asia Cup final, has been overshadowed by the exploits of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.
India's premier duo has been deadly at all phases of the innings in the World Cup so far. So, unless the hosts opt to rest and rotate, the Lankan batters will have a serious task on their hands.
Sri Lanka's batting lineup doesn't wear a settled look, with Dhananjaya de Silva and Angelo Mathews batting far too low to make the kind of impact they can. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Pathum Nissanka have done the bulk of the run-scoring in the last few matches, with Kusal Mendis slog-sweeping his way to dismissal after dismissal despite looking good.
More concerningly for Sri Lanka, key Indian players are due match-winning performances. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have both crossed the half-century mark in the tournament but haven't stamped their authority yet. Quality players like them, who aren't necessarily in poor nick, are bound to do so soon.
Overall, while anything can happen in a game of cricket, India are the clear favorites to stay unbeaten in the 2023 World Cup and push Sri Lanka further toward elimination. They are clearly the better side, and the smart money would be on a convincing win for them on Thursday.
Prediction: India to win Match 33 of the 2023 World Cup.