Haridwar Elmas vs Nainital Tigers Prediction, 1st T20, UPL 2026

Haridwar Elmas vs Nainital Tigers prediction for the opening match of the Uttarakhand Premier League 2026 points towards a competitive contest between the defending champions and last season’s runners-up. The match will be played on September 22 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun, with the men’s third edition of the tournament beginning with this fixture.

Haridwar Elmas enter the new season as defending champions after defeating Nainital Tigers by four wickets in the 2025 final. The previous season also produced another important meeting between these sides, when Haridwar chased 198 with seven wickets in hand on October 2.

The two teams therefore have recent history, but their 2026 squads are not identical to the sides that played those matches. Haridwar have Yuvraj Choudhary as their icon player, while Nainital Tigers have Avneesh Sudha as their icon player. Both squads also contain a mixture of established Uttarakhand players and younger domestic talent.

Haridwar finished the 2025 season strongly, winning four of their last five matches before the final and then defeating Nainital in the championship match. Nainital also entered the final in good form, having won three of their previous four matches before losing the title decider.

The opening fixture has added significance because the seven-team men’s competition will be played in a single round-robin format. Each side has six league matches, so a strong start could be valuable in the race for the top positions.

With both teams familiar with the venue and the previous final still fresh in the rivalry, the opening match should provide a useful early indication of how the new-look squads compare.

Match Details

The match is scheduled for 7:30 PM IST and will be the opening men’s match of UPL 2026.

The 2026 men’s competition features seven teams and 21 league matches, followed by the playoff stage. The tournament is scheduled to conclude with the final on October 1.

Haridwar Elmas Last 5 Matches

Nainital Tigers Last 5 Matches

Recent Form Comparison

Haridwar’s most recent five T20 matches from the 2025 UPL produced four wins and one defeat. Their batting was particularly strong during that sequence, with scores of 199/3 and 159/0 during successful chases.

Nainital won three of their final five matches, including victories over Dehradun Warriors and USN Indians. They also crossed 200 against Dehradun, scoring 203/7.

The important difference is that Haridwar finished the season by defeating Nainital twice in three days, including the final. However, the 2026 squads have changed, so those results should be used as historical context rather than treated as a direct prediction of this match.

Haridwar Elmas Preview

Haridwar Elmas begin their title defence with a squad built around Yuvraj Choudhary, who has been named the team’s icon player for the 2026 season. The squad also retains several players who were involved in the previous UPL campaign, including Shashwat Dangwal, Saurabh Rawat, Janmejay Joshi, Saurav Chauhan, Abhay Chettri, Dhruv Pratap Singh and Siddharth Gupta.

The defending champions have a useful combination of batting depth and players capable of contributing with the ball. Shashwat Dangwal provides an experienced left-handed batting option, while Saurav Chauhan offers another attacking batting presence. Saurabh Rawat provides wicketkeeping depth.

Haridwar’s biggest evidence from the previous season is their ability to score quickly when the top order gets established. They chased 198 against Nainital in only 15.5 overs on October 2, scoring 199/3. Three days later, they chased 148 in the final with six wickets in hand.

That recent record suggests that Haridwar are comfortable pursuing substantial targets, although the new season brings a different squad combination. Their 2026 icon player, Yuvraj Choudhary, gives the side another prominent top-order option.

Janmejay Joshi is another player worth watching. He was among Haridwar’s important bowling options during the previous season, and his ability to control the middle overs could be particularly important against Nainital’s batting group.

The main question for Haridwar is how quickly their new combination settles. A number of players from last season are no longer listed in the 2026 squad, while new names such as Yuvraj Choudhary and Md Zaid have been added.

At the same time, the defending champions have the advantage of entering the season with a clear understanding of what it takes to perform in the UPL knockout environment.

Their tactical priority should be to preserve wickets through the first six overs and then use their batting depth aggressively in the middle and death overs. With a strong batting platform, Haridwar can put pressure on Nainital’s relatively young bowling group.

Nainital Tigers Preview

Nainital Tigers enter the new season as the defending runners-up after reaching the 2025 final. Avneesh Sudha is the team’s icon player for UPL 2026, and his role at the top of the batting order is expected to be central to the team’s campaign.

The squad also contains Aarav Mahajan, Mukesh Gupta, Rahul Raj, TNR Mohit, Aditya Naithani, Devansh Sharma, Ishagra Jagoori, Rohit Danu, Shashank Shekhar Pant, Subham Pundir and several other domestic players.

Nainital showed significant batting power during the closing stages of the 2025 competition. They scored 203/7 against Dehradun Warriors on October 1 and followed that with 198/7 against Haridwar on October 2.

They then defeated USN Indians by chasing 179 and beat Dehradun again by 20 runs. Those results demonstrate that the Tigers can score at a high rate when their top order survives the early overs.

The problem came in the two matches against Haridwar. On October 2, Nainital’s 198/7 was chased down by Haridwar in only 15.5 overs. In the final, their 148/6 was again successfully chased, this time with four wickets remaining.

That makes the middle and death overs particularly important. Nainital need to convert strong starts into totals that put genuine pressure on Haridwar rather than allowing the opposition to finish strongly.

Avneesh Sudha provides an important new-season focal point. The Tigers will also look towards Aarav Mahajan, Shashank Shekhar Pant and Subham Pundir for support around their leading batting options.

Ishagra Jagoori is another player to watch with the ball. His off-spin can become valuable during the middle overs if Haridwar’s aggressive batters attempt to accelerate.

Nainital’s route to victory is likely to involve taking wickets early. Allowing Haridwar’s batting unit to settle would repeat one of the patterns seen in their two defeats to the champions last season.

Also Read: Uttarakhand Premier League 2026 Schedule, Teams, Squads, Fixtures, Dates, Venues and More

Team Squad & Team News

Haridwar Elmas Squad

• Yuvraj Choudhary
• Shashwat Dangwal
• Saurabh Rawat
• Janmejay Joshi
• Saurav Chauhan
• Abhay Chettri
• Dhruv Pratap Singh
• Kunal Veer Singh
• Rakshit Rohi
• Siddharth Gupta
• Rakshit Dalakoti
• Mayank Mudila
• Daksh Awana
• Sachin Yadav
• Priyank Singh
• Himanshu Sony
• Durgesh Bhatt
• Sagar Rathi
• Md Zaid
• Rahul

Yuvraj Choudhary is the Haridwar Elmas icon player for Season 3.

Nainital Tigers Squad

• Avneesh Sudha
• Aarav Mahajan
• Mukesh Gupta
• Rahul Raj
• TNR Mohit
• Aditya Naithani
• Devansh Sharma
• Ishagra Jagoori
• Rohit Danu
• Shashank Shekhar Pant
• Adi Khan
• Priyanshu Panwar
• Shahanshah Alam
• Rohit Singh Yadav
• Divyansh Dhawan
• Sankalp Pathodiya
• Subham Pundir
• Naksh Singh
• Aditya Nautiyal
• Ekam Behar

Avneesh Sudha is the Nainital Tigers icon player for Season 3.

Team News

Both teams have completed their 2026 squads following the player draft.

No confirmed injury or suspension affecting this specific match has been reliably established in the available pre-match information.

The final playing XIs should be checked after the official team announcements.

Probable Playing XI

Probable XIs are subject to official team announcements and the toss.

Haridwar Elmas vs Nainital Tigers Dream11 / Fantasy Prediction

Captain Options

1. Yuvraj Choudhary — Haridwar’s icon player and a top-order option with the opportunity to influence the innings from the powerplay.
2. Avneesh Sudha — Nainital’s icon player and one of the main batting figures around whom their 2026 campaign is expected to be built.

Vice-Captain Options

1. Shashwat Dangwal — His previous UPL performances provide evidence of his ability to contribute substantially with the bat.
2. Janmejay Joshi — A middle-overs bowling option who can provide fantasy value through wickets and economy.

Players to Avoid

1. Md Zaid — His exact batting position and match-day role are not sufficiently established before the official XI.
2. Ekam Behar — The player is part of the squad, but his expected role and involvement in the opening XI remain uncertain.

Fantasy suggestions are for informational purposes only and are not guaranteed to produce points or returns.

Also Check: Get The Best Fantasy Prediction From Cricket Experts

Haridwar Elmas vs Nainital Tigers Head-to-Head — T20 Record

Last 2 Head-to-Head Matches

Weather Report

The latest IMD forecast for Dehradun-Asharori indicates partly cloudy conditions on September 22 with a possibility of rain or thunderstorm. The forecast lists a maximum temperature of 32°C and minimum of 21°C, with relative humidity around 71% at the 5:30 PM observation period.

A shower around the evening could interrupt the match, so DLS is a possibility if rainfall becomes significant. If the game remains dry, the weather should not fundamentally alter the batting conditions.

Dew could become relevant later in the evening, particularly for the side bowling second.

Broadcast Details

Haridwar Elmas vs Nainital Tigers Toss Prediction & Strategy

If Haridwar Elmas wins the toss

Haridwar could prefer to bat first if the pitch looks particularly good for stroke-making. Their recent UPL batting record shows that they can score quickly, and setting a target would allow their bowling group to attack Nainital with scoreboard pressure.

A first-innings score around 165 or above would give Haridwar a strong platform.

If Nainital Tigers wins the toss

Nainital could also consider batting first, particularly if the surface appears fresh and hard. Their 2025 campaign included several strong batting totals, including 203/7 and 198/7.

If there is visible moisture or the possibility of early assistance for seamers, bowling first would become more attractive.

Toss Prediction

Predicted toss winner: Nainital Tigers

The toss prediction itself is a 50-50 event and is not included as a major factor in the match probability.

Score Prediction

Winning Chances

Why the Win Percentage?

The first major factor is Haridwar’s recent head-to-head success. They defeated Nainital twice in the 2025 UPL, including the final.

The second factor is their overall finish to the previous season. Haridwar won four of their last five matches before the championship game and then won the final.

The third factor is batting performance. Haridwar chased 198 against Nainital in only 15.5 overs, demonstrating that their previous batting combination could handle a substantial target.

Key Player Matchups

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