This is the marquee match of the day — defending champions Southern Super Stars vs table-leading India Tigers. India Tigers have Chris Gayle, Shikhar Dhawan, and Aaron Finch opening — one of the most extraordinary T20 batting lineups ever assembled. All three are former international heavyweights who can still destroy any bowling attack.

Southern Super Stars are the reigning champions and their experience of big games shows. Martin Guptill — who holds the all-time record for highest T20I innings (237* vs West Indies) — anchors their batting alongside the brilliant Dinesh Karthik behind the stumps. Harbhajan Singh still has plenty of tricks with his off-spin, particularly on a surface that might offer some turn in the evening.

Pitch: Good batting surface with consistent bounce. Average score ~152. The afternoon match (MSP vs KSO) will have used the surface — the pitch may slow slightly by evening, offering marginally more for spinners.

Weather: Clear Haldwani evening — temperatures ~20°C. Dew will be a significant factor from the 10th over onwards, making the ball slippery for bowlers. Teams winning the toss should consider bowling first — chasing under dew gives a substantial advantage here. Both Harbhajan Singh and the Tigers’ spin options (Nadeem, Negi, Jakati) may struggle in dew conditions.

India Tigers are narrow favourites based on their table-leading position and the extraordinary top 3 of Gayle-Dhawan-Finch. The dew factor in this evening match also benefits whoever bats second, and Tigers have the batting depth to chase any total.

Southern Super Stars have the experience of defending the title and Harbhajan Singh’s bowling remains competitive. Martin Guptill could produce one of those magical innings that he’s famous for — the highest T20I scorer of all time is never out of a match until the last ball is bowled.

Broadcast: Sony Sports Network | FanCode & SonyLIV (streaming)