India vs South Africa, 4th T20 Match Prediction | Who will win today’s match between IND vs SA?

India and South Africa lock horns in the 4th T20I at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium on December 17, 2025, with India leading 2-1 and looking to seal the series. The hosts have been outstanding – their bowlers grabbing early wickets and choking runs through the middle overs, while the batters have been aggressive upfront and calm in finishing games. There’s one hiccup though – Axar Patel’s ruled out due to illness, with Shahbaz Ahmed stepping in as replacement. South Africa, meanwhile, are in real trouble. Their batting’s collapsed repeatedly with early wickets and poor shot selection, leaving Markram fighting alone despite his best efforts. The bowlers have tried hard but defending tiny totals has made life impossible. Let’s break down the expert betting tips, team performance, pitch report, head-to-head records, and IND vs SA 4th T20 Match Prediction. Who will win today’s match?

Team Performance

India: India have really nailed it this series. Their bowling attack has been the standout – getting those early breakthroughs in the Power Play sets the tone for everything else. They’ve got this knack for rotating bowlers at just the right time and choking runs in the middle overs, which slowly strangles the opposition.

When it comes to batting, they keep it simple. Openers go hard from ball one, put the pressure back on the bowlers. Once they’ve done the damage up top, the middle order just sees it through without doing anything silly. That’s been their formula – hit hard early, strangle them through the middle, and finish without fuss. It’s working a treat and they’re winning games because of it.

South Africa: South Africa are really struggling here. India’s 2-1 up and the Proteas look rattled. Their batting’s fallen apart too many times – early wickets, poor shots, nobody building an innings properly.

Markram’s been solid and he’s doing what a captain should, but where’s everyone else? He can’t do it all by himself. The bowlers aren’t bowling badly, but defending 140-odd every game? That’s a nightmare.

They’ve got to stop panicking in the Power Play and playing reckless shots. Bat for longer, put some partnerships together, give the bowlers something to work with. Otherwise this series is done.

Weather forecast

• Temperature: 29.2°C
• Humidity: 94%
• Rain: 25% chance of rain
• Wind direction: NNW
• Wind speed: 4km/h

Pitch Report: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium

The Ekana pitch in Lucknow is typically on the slower side and spinners absolutely love it here – the black soil gives them plenty of grip and turn, especially once the middle overs kick in. Batters can’t just walk out and start smashing from ball one; you need to spend some time out there and work your way in. Once you’re set though, the outfield’s quick enough to find boundaries. The pacers aren’t useless either – mix in some cutters and slower balls and you’ll pick up wickets. First innings scores used to be around 150-160, but lately the pitch has been playing a bit better and we’ve seen totals climb closer to 180. Since it’s an evening match, dew’s going to come into play later on, so whoever wins the toss will probably bowl first and back themselves to chase. Anywhere between 160-175 is a decent score here, but get past 180 and you’re really putting the opposition under the pressure.

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India vs South Africa Playing X1

Today match Prediction: Team chasing are favourites to win today’s fourth T20 match.

Today’s cricket betting tips for IND vs SA 4th T20 Match

• Toss prediction for today’s T20 match: IND win the toss and elect to Bowl First
• Top Batter Performance: Abhishek Sharma
• Top Bowler Performance: Hardik Pandya
• Cricket betting tips: India are favourite for today’s match win

Disclaimer: Author expert provides this prediction along with insights, analysis, and personal insights. Use this as a guide and make your own choices before betting or drawing conclusions.