Superman vs. Batman is a dream match-up for any comic book fan. A battle between two of the greatest super heroes of all time would be an epic confrontation. While Earth's yellow sun provides The Man of Steel with powers and abilities far greater than any mortal, he would fall to The Dark Knight. Batman would defeat Superman.
Superman is the ultimate champion of truth and justice. He could do any number of things to defeat Batman - burn Batman with heat vision, freeze him with super breath, crush him with his bare hands, throw him around like a rag doll, punch him into oblivion, or just drop him from high in the sky and let Batman fall to a crushing death. It would seem that Batman would not have a chance against The Man of Steel. Batman would be aware of the ramifications of such a confrontation. However, The Dark Knight has the ability to develop a strategy to prevent him from being decimated by his opponent and achieve victory.
Batman is a great hero in his own right. He has saved many lives and conquered dangerous foes. Although Batman possesses no super powers at all, he uses the greatest weapon he has to outwit his opponents - intelligence (but it doesn't hurt when your alter-ego is a millionaire with money and resources either). Due to the fact that he is a superb detective, the very first thing The Dark Knight would do is study his opponent.
Batman's success would be directly correlated to the fact that he has a unique ability to stay one step ahead of his opponents. He is a true master of the mind game. Villains such as The Joker, Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Bane, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn and Scarecrow have been known as brilliant, psychotic, or criminally insane. Most of them have been considered criminal masterminds, but in the end have been outsmarted by Batman. With Superman as his opponent, Batman would be challenged by an alien being with superior knowledge and intellect. Next to the Joker (one the most unpredictable opponents Batman has ever faced), Superman would be the greatest mental and physical challenge yet. If he could outsmart the criminals that are considered dangerous, he can outsmart the heroes who are considered good. In this fight, pure strength is not the greatest weapon - intellect will be the deciding factor.
Batman would learn all that he could about Superman - his strengths and more importantly his weaknesses. He would learn Superman's attacks, which powers he uses the most, his trusted allies, and which opponents or situations have been the most difficult for The Man of Steel to overcome. Never one to shy away from danger, Batman would even go as far as to get close to observe Superman in action just to watch his fighting style and movements. He would play the devil's hand - possibly going along with a plan to gain Superman's trust. The more he learned, the more prepared he would be for a fight. Batman always has been, and forever will be, a "thinking man's" crime fighter. The Dark Knight would analyze every intricate detail about The Man of Steel to give himself an edge.
Moreover, Superman values humanity, ethics and never lies. While The Dark Knight also protects the innocent, he is not shy about doing whatever it takes to stop a criminal. The same approach would be used against Superman. Batman plays by his own rules. He's had to do this to defeat some of the most feared criminals. Batman has stopped each arch-rival by occasionally overstepping the law for the greater good. He will not kill criminals, but bend the rules of the law if needed. In order to defeat Superman, Batman may need to go above and beyond the law once again to overcome arguably the most powerful hero of them all.
Batman does not trust anyone with the exception of Alfred the Butler. He's had very few trusted associates in the comic book world, but he is a loner. In episodes of the animated series Justice League, The Man of Steel is often the one taking the biggest beating from opponents. Batman is still a loner at heart and does not accept the whole "team" concept at all. This is a prime example as to why Batman could defeat Superman. Batman analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of every Justice League member and ways to stop each of them. He kept a fragment of kryptonite just in case circumstances required Superman to be stopped. Superman is far too trusting - always trying to see the good in others. Batman is always in one mode: don't trust anybody and keep a pair of eyes in the back of your head. As a hero who does not have super powers, he has to be one step ahead of everyone else (including Superman) and take certain precautions to protect himself.
Lastly, Batman would exploit Superman's three main weaknesses - kryptonite, the red sun and the inability to see through lead. He would use his knowledge to create a series of weapons that would defeat The Man of Steel. Imagine a Bat-suit designed or layered with kryptonite; a Bat-a-rang made of kryptonite; kryptonite gas pellets; a Bat-Wing armed with kryptonite missiles; a power grid or satellite that channeled yellow sunlight and turned it to red sunlight, or a global satellite frequency that pierced Superman's super hearing so badly it would be unbearable. The possibilities would be endless.
In the end, this fight would not be an easy victory for either opponent. Both heroes would have unique advantages, but ultimately this battle will not be determined by the strongest, but the smartest. It is a battle of the mind. In order to defeat their opponent, each hero must become their opponent. They must think like each other and answer the question: If I were Superman or Batman, what would I do next? Superman is smart, but anticipation is not his strongest asset. The Man of Steel is matching wits against the best crime fighter - the master of the mind game. He is facing The Dark Knight and this is a fight Superman would ultimately lose.