After 2 months of hassle, matches, headlines and lots of predictions, finally the two teams are set to clash in order to lift the most prestigious franchise cricket trophy. The top two teams in the league stage in the form of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders are all set to clash today at the Chepauk stadium to hunt for their title. And while the world awaits the to see the decisive encounter, the headlines revolve around the fact whether Gambhir's mentoring would emerge victorious, or would it be Cummins' captaincy.

To know a little more about it, let's deep dive into the squads and the history of the two teams. The Knight Riders have had fair share of success early on when Gautam Gambhir was a part of it, and it shows even now as he is their mentor. Gambhir has the perfection to make strategies against opponents and he knows how to use each of his players at the right time. He also has the aura that all the players listen to him, and hence he has a great chance to be a part of the winning team today, with him being the mentor for the first time.

Meanwhile Hyderabad under Pat Cummins is a story to tell. Once trolled to pick him up for 20 cr, now everyone is justifying the deal. Pat Cummins, the accidental captain for Australia rose up the ranks quickly to lead his team to WTC and World Cup 2023. His homework of the opponents is spot on and so is his decision making ability. And the edge he would have over KKR is the fact that Cummins would be on the field for entire match, whereas Gambhir would be in the dugout.

Having said that, it would be interesting to see what the Chepauk wicket holds. Known for its spinners, the team would mostly favour the side bowling first. Excess dew on the wickets would further make life more difficult for bowlers in second innings. Overall from the experience of what has happened Chepauk, it will be fair to say that the team that bats first will have more possibility of struggling to go ahead. However, the situation, the pressure and the abilities of technically sound batters could turn the game in their favour, and if a high scoring first innings happen, it would essentially mean that it will trouble the team batting second.

Now looking at the sides, it would be fair to say that the team having Narine and Chakraborty would have edge in the bowling. The clever strategy of dismissing Head and Sharma would however not be that fruitful, as Rahul Tripathi is looking in his elements much more than what he did in the league stages. Tripathi could be the decisive factor in between both the teams. He has faced the KKR bowlers in the nets 2 years before, and could outplay them. Plus having Klassen in the squad along with Nitish Reddy would ensure that Sunrisers can fire big time, in spite of when they bat.

Plus KKR's success is also heavily dependent on Narine's onslaught as an opener. And the way SRH is cruising, it seems like SRH will get him out cheaply. Plus most of the KKR batters might succumb to Hyderabad bowlers. Captain Iyer could have a good chance at the crease today, but the likes of Russell seem less likely to fire. Shreyas and Venkatesh might display their prowess, with little support from their batters like Rana. And similarly Starc would fire today, but he might still not be the deciding factor of the match. All in all, looking at the history and what everyone could offer, it is fair to say that Sunrisers Hyderabad would have a clear edge over KKR, and they will be the favourites to clinch on to the title.

Now what exactly might happen, one will understand only after the match is commenced, but it looks like the Orange Army would clinch on to their 2nd title after 2016 (They did one in 2009 but it was Deccan Chargers who won back then, SRH has only won once in 2016). And history suggests that Hyderabad has always performed top notch when their team is led by an Australian. Earlier it was Warner, today Cummins it is. And the history might repeat itself. If is does, Cummins would see himself winning WTC, World Cup and IPL within a period of 11 months. And if Gambhir wins, it would ensure the 3rd title for KKR. As a forever fan of Gautam Gambhir, I really wish to see KKR win, but honestly it looks like a bleak possibility.