KKR v DC Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2020 match
After an 8-wicket whipping at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last encounter, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will look to bounce back to winning ways when they face off against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 42nd match of IPL 2020 in Abu Dhabi.
The Knights have endured a bag of mixed results so far with five wins and an equal number of losses from their 10 games. And, with the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab hot on their heels in the race for 4th spot, KKR will need to pick up a win today.
The Capitals, on the other hand, will want to take guard against any slip-ups in their last four games despite their all-but assured place in the playoffs. DC began their campaign with five wins from six games and looked almost unstoppable, but since then, losses to the Mumbai Indians and KXIP have sounded the alarms in their camp.
If DC do manage to win this Kolkata v Delhi clash today, they will jump to the top of the IPL 2020 points table, while a win for KKR will help them move one step closer to sealing the 4th spot and with that, a spot in the playoffs.
IPL 2020: KKR v DC Match Prediction
The last time these two sides met, the Eoin Morgan-Rahul Tripathi pair almost pulled off a run-heist with some terrific big-hitting during the slog overs. However, Anrich Nortje removed Morgan and less than an over later, Marcus Stoinis castled Tripathi to bring about an 18-run win for DC.
Three weeks since, a lot has changed for both sides. Dinesh Karthik stepped down from captaincy and handed over the reins to Morgan, while Andre Russell's poor form and a spate of injuries sidelined him for their encounter against RCB.
KKR have won only one of their three games since Morgan's appointment as captain, and the absence of seasoned all-rounder Sunil Narine has undoubtedly dented their campaign.
DC, on the other hand, have been the beneficiaries of Shikhar Dhawan's blazing form, with the southpaw having notched up two centuries and two more half-centuries in the last four matches he's played for the Shreyas Iyer-led side.
However, poor returns from Prithvi Shaw has marred their rather colourful campaign off late, and the youngster will need to get back to scoring ways and support his senior opening partner.
Rishabh Pant's return from injury has ensured that DC go back to their tried and tested playing XI, and barring an injury to Nortje that has handed Daniel Sams a spot in the side, the Capitals look like a well-oiled unit.
KKR, though, are yet to nail down their settled XI, and an injury to star foreign import Russell has certainly compounded their woes. The bowling unit looks a tad bit inexperienced apart from the Pat Cummins-Lockie Ferguson duo. With Kuldeep Yadav unable to find his feet in IPL 2020, KKR have a whole lot of thinking to do before they step onto the field against DC.
In terms of an overall perspective, DC look settled with just the likes of Shaw and Pant needing to put up a good show, while KKR definitely need to pull out all the stops to get the upper hand in this contest.
Prediction: DC to win today.