Champions League T20 is coming back after over 10 years
Champions League T20 is coming back after over 10 years
The Champions League T20: A recent meeting held in Singapore, members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) formally decided to bring back the competition, which features teams from various domestic Twenty20 leagues. The league might resume as early as next year if all goes as planned.
The Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) is getting ready for a grand comeback. At a recent meeting held during the ICC Annual Conference in Singapore, members of the International Cricket Council officially agreed to revive the popular tournament. If everything goes smoothly, we might see the action return as early as next year.
This revived league will once again feature top T20 franchises from domestic tournaments around the world. But there are a few hurdles to clear. One of the biggest is figuring out how to deal with team owners who own multiple franchises in different countries. To manage this, the ICC is likely to form a fresh Governing Council to oversee the tournament’s operations.
The cricket world has changed a lot since the CLT20 last took place in 2014. Back then, only a few countries had franchise T20 leagues. Now, even nations like the USA, UAE, Nepal, and Canada have their thriving competitions. There are currently around 11 major franchise tournaments globally including England’s The Hundred which makes scheduling the CLT20 a real challenge. Finding a time slot in the packed cricket calendar will be key.
As in earlier editions, the BCCI and the IPL are expected to lead the way, with the ECB (which wasn’t part of the original tournament) likely joining this time. Cricket Australia is also expected to be involved, along with possibly Cricket South Africa, one of the league’s original founders.
The CLT20 first launched in 2009 but was shut down after 2014 due to financial losses. Star Sports, the broadcaster, offered compensation to the BCCI, CA, and CSA in 2015, which led to the league's closure.
Now, things are coming full circle. Before anything else kicks off, the organisers need to find a broadcasting partner and from there, the CLT20 will be ready to rise again.