Twenty20 Champions League

Infobox cricket tournament main
name = Twenty20 Champions League


imagesize =
caption =
administrator = BCCI, ECB, CA, CSA & PCB, Lalit Modi
chairman = Lalit Kumar Modi
cricket format = Twenty20
tournament format = Round-Robin and Knockout
first = 2008
last =
participants = 8 (2008),
12 (2009)
champions =
most successful =
most runs =
most wickets =

The Twenty20 Champions League is an international Twenty20 cricket competition between clubs from Australia, England, India, Pakistan and South Africa. The Twenty20 Champions League is Chaired by one of the world's most powerful cricket administrators in Lalit Modi. Modi is also the Chairman and Commisioner of the Indian Premier League, Vice-President of the BCCI, President of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, and the Vice-President of the Punjab Cricket Association. The competition is being launched in 2008 as a response to the success of national Twenty20 domestic cricket leagues, most notably the Indian Premier League. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7441994.stm Cricket Champions League unveiled] BBC Sport 07-06-08 Accessed 08-06-08 ] The first edition was set to take place in late September to early October 2008 in India, after the tournament organisers resolved various teething problems that had put the inagaural tournament under some doubt, [http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/t20champions/content/current/story/363161.html] Cricinfo, Retrieved 01 August 2008 ] but it was later announced that the tournament would be held in December. [ [http://www.cricketworld.com/twenty20_cricket/article/?aid=16858 Champions League Twenty20 Moved To December] , Cricket World, Retrieved August 14, 2008]

Background

An international tournament for domestic cricket teams is believed to have been first mooted by Lalit Modi, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 1996, lalit modi is also the chairman and commisoner on the IPL, president of the Rajasthan Cricket Assocation and vice-president of the Punjab Cricket Assocation. [http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/311046.html Everything you wanted to know about the Champions League] Cricinfo Accessed 09-06-08 ] The launch and subsequent success of Twenty20 cricket some years later was the influence behind a serious effort to get such a tournament off the ground. Twenty20 cricket was launched by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003. [http://www.indiatwenty20.com/twenty20-history.htm Twenty20: Past, Present and Future] India Twenty20; Accessed 08-06-08 ] Its launch was a result of a long-term decline in the popularity of county championship and domestic limited-overs cricket. By reducing the number of overs per innings to twenty and by placing a three hour limit on matches, the format was designed to attract a younger crowd and to boost attendances. ] Twenty20 proved a success, with an international version launched in 2005 and a World Twenty20 Competition held in September 2007. This proved much more popular than the 50 over Cricket World Cup had been just five months previously. [http://infosports.wordpress.com/2007/09/26/icc-thrilled-with-20-20-world-cup-success-next-edition-to-be-held-in-england-in-2009/ ICC Thrilled With 20-20 World Cup Success - Next Edition To Be Held In England In 2009] Crickinfo 29-09-07 Accessed 08-06-08 ] The following year, the Indian Premier League (IPL) was launched, proving that there could be a market for a big-spending domestic Twenty20 cricket league. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/mihirbose/2008/06/ipl_creating_new_world_order.html] Bohse, Mihir BBC Sport 02-06-08 Accessed 08-06-08 ] The success of Twenty20 and the IPL lead many commentators to suggest that other forms of cricket would suffer, with some worrying about the effect of the popular fast-paced 'slogging' game on players' abilities in Test cricket. ] [http://inhome.rediff.com/cricket/2008/jun/05castrol.htm ODIs may reduce to accommodate Twenty20: Dravid] Kotian, Harish Rediff News 05-06-08 Accessed 08-06-08 ]

Immediately after the end of the first series of the IPL, the cricket authorities in England, India, Australia and South Africa entered into discussions to create a new international club competition, to capitalize on the this success. ] The new tournament's £2.5m winning prize was described as "unprecedented" in cricket. ] A number of different formats for the tournament were considered, with original proposals containing a much lower prize fund. ] The T20 Champions League's creation was announced on 7 June 2008, along with the announcement of planned restructuring of some of the domestic cricket tournaments invovled, including the introduction of franchising in South Africa, England and Australia. ] Pakistan's participation was always mooted, but not confirmed when the tournament was first launched. Following a series of discussions and the announcement of the creation of a Pakistan Super League from 2009, it was confirmed that two Pakistani teams would compete. [http://content-www.cricinfo.com/asiacup/content/story/359725.html Pakistan invited to Champions League - Ashraf] Cricinfo.com; 04-07-08; Accessed 16-07-08 ]

Format

Qualifying

The 2008 T20 Champions League is expected to be contested between 8 teams from 5 countries. The qualifiers are:

* The winners and runners-up of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash in Australia.
* The winners and runners-up of the Standard Bank Pro 20 Series in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
* The winners and runners-up of the Twenty20 Cup in England and Wales. (Note: Runners-up Kent were not invited to participate in the inaugural tournament because it consisted of two players from rebel ICL, an unauthorized league).
* The winners and runners-up of the Indian Premier League in India.
* The winners of the RBS Twenty-20 Cup from Pakistan, (Sialkot Stallions in 2007-08).

This format is expected to change as 12 teams will compete in the 2nd edition of the tournament in September-October 2009.

Tournament

The Twenty20 Champions League will be played over an eight day period and will consist of two divisions competing in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each division will then move on to an elimination round to the finals.

Teams

Teams that will be taking part in the 2008 Twenty20 Champions League can be found below. Although the tournament was originally rumoured to only include teams from Australia, South Africa, India and England, it was announced on 4 July, 2008, that two teams from Pakistan's domestic tournament were also invited. At the same, time England's participation was also put into doubt, following differences between the ECB & BCCI over the inclusion of "rebel" Indian Cricket League (ICL) players. [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/asiacup/content/current/story/359725.html Cricinfo - Pakistan invited to Champions League - Ashraf ] ]

England's Participation

The organisers of the tournament confirmed that any team competing would be banned from fielding players who have competed in the Indian Cricket League, a rival to the Indian Premier League. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7468041.stm Champions League bans ICL players] BBC Sport; 22-06-08; Accessed 22-06-08 ] As a result of this, England's participation in the tournament was put in jeopardy. For the the 2008 season, 15 of the 18 counties fielded 25 players from the ICL. [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/359566.html Cricinfo - Top officials meet for 'basic discussions' ] ] On 24 July, 2008, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed their stance by stating that only Middlesex and Essex stood a chance of being invited to the Champions League because they didn't have ICL links. [ [http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/362345.html Modi reiterates stand against teams with ICL links] Cricinfo; 24-07-08; Accessed 24-07-08 ] Middlesex won the Twenty20 Cup and confirmed they had accepted the invitation to participate in the tournament. [ [http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=50896 Middlesex to participate in Twenty20 Champions League] The International News; 01-08-08; Accessed 01-08-08] Kent were officially barred from the competition on 1 August, and the ECB's suggestion to replace them with Essex was rejected by Cricket Australia. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/7534952.stm Kent lose Champions League place] BBC Sport, 01-08-08; Accessed 01-08-08]

Results

External Links

[http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=31397584/ Orkut Community for T20 Champions league] [http://www.t20clcricket.com/ T20 Champions League News & Updates]
[http://www.champions-twenty20-league.com/ Twenty20 Champions League 2008 News]
[http://thecricketingleague.blogspot.com/ All about T20 cricket]

ee also

*Lalit Modi - Chairman and Commissioner of Indian Premier League

References