From the iSport Champions League Pavilion: iSporter Saurabh Joshi pens a special piece giving the perfect blend of facts and statistics. Read as he shares key happenings of the past and what's in store in this year's Champions League.
A pleasant goodbye to the rather mundane heap of ODIs and welcome to the world of T-20s. The second edition of the Champions league T-20 (CL - T20) gets under way on September 10th. 10 teams from 6 countries will fight it out for glory and of course an eye catching prize money of $ 2.5m.
History
Following the success of the IPL and other domestic Twenty20 leagues, officials in England, India, Australia and South Africa entered into discussions in 2008 to create an international inter-club competition. It was a paradigm shift for the sport, the new concept took it to the level of clubs, states and counties as the organizers sought to replicate the popularity of club-based competitions in other sports, most notably football. The idea was an instant hit with the boards, counties and franchisees. We might talk negatively about Lalit Modi but the man was definitely one of the masterminds in bringing the league into existence and if not then at least the first successful executor of the plan.
Roadblocks
The CL-T20 has never enjoyed a smooth ride; the first edition of the tournament was to be held in India in December 2008 but was cancelled following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26. It was eventually held in September 2009. Next, the ICC said the event was not a part of the Future Tours Program (FTP), making it difficult to find a window in the international calendar when all potential players would be available for the tournament and this year is no different. The event clashes with the end of the English domestic season due to which there will be no representation from England for the year.
2009 - An event with mixed feelings
The CL T-20 committee would have been relieved that the event finally got underway; however, the event wasn’t a mega success with none of the Indian teams making it into the semis. The ground preparations at Delhi came under the scanner and the audiences chose to stay away from the stadia (in complete contrast to IPL). New South Wales were crowned the champions, but the team that made an impact and won hearts was the Caribbean team, Trinidad & Tobago. The team came from nowhere and almost conquered the crown.
2010 – What’s in store?
The venue has changed, and rurprise rurprise its South Africa (SA)!! SA recently has been a hub for world sports and clearly a saving grace for world cricket. The format has changed from 4 groups of 3 teams to 2 groups of 5 teams with 2 teams from each group making it into semis. A more logical format I must say! At least teams have a chance to bounce back.
Since the event features franchise-based clubs unconstrained by national boundaries, there are instances of a player having to choose between two or more sides. And clearly the moolah has taken over patriotism (If a player chooses to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team in 2010, the 'away' team must pay $200,000 compensation to the 'home' team; Players like Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis and Cameron White are the prime examples). However, I am not sure whether players are even given choices!
As September 10th comes closer the broadcasters, sponsors and advertisers have grown active. 3 years ago, ESPN Star purchased the broadcasting rights of the Champions League T20 for an astronomical $975mn (approx Rs 4500cr). To derive maximum eyeballs, they have set aside a mega budget for an ad blitz. The grand old man of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachhan is seen jumping, growling and petrifying viewers. Does that entice families is a moot point. Airtel has purchased the title sponsorship rights for $38.4mn (Rs 176cr). The coverage in print media too has been quite extensive. So from a marketing point of view, the Champions League is making all the right noises.
All the 10 teams participating in the league look formidable with no clear favourites. However, it will be interesting to see the performance of the youngsters. Pollard’s innings on the Diwali night in last year’s CL made him win contracts with 3 counties including the highly priced contract with the Mumbai Indians. With auctions of IPL -4 just round the corner, all the players will surely be aware that 10 IPL franchisees will be watching them with their eyes wide open. Who will perform and who will buckle down under pressure remains to be seen.
Just as the stage was getting set for a grand event, the match fixing (spot fixing) saga rocked the cricketing world. The stories coming out each hour in relation to this turmoil are disturbing and in all likelihood, the CL-T 20 will be played under the shadow of this saga. But as it is said there is an opportunity in every adversity, If the event manages to win attention and hearts of the viewers /fans from the organization perspective and more importantly with the quality of cricket ICC may well consider a permanent windows for such events in their FTPs.
History
Following the success of the IPL and other domestic Twenty20 leagues, officials in England, India, Australia and South Africa entered into discussions in 2008 to create an international inter-club competition. It was a paradigm shift for the sport, the new concept took it to the level of clubs, states and counties as the organizers sought to replicate the popularity of club-based competitions in other sports, most notably football. The idea was an instant hit with the boards, counties and franchisees. We might talk negatively about Lalit Modi but the man was definitely one of the masterminds in bringing the league into existence and if not then at least the first successful executor of the plan.
Roadblocks
The CL-T20 has never enjoyed a smooth ride; the first edition of the tournament was to be held in India in December 2008 but was cancelled following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26. It was eventually held in September 2009. Next, the ICC said the event was not a part of the Future Tours Program (FTP), making it difficult to find a window in the international calendar when all potential players would be available for the tournament and this year is no different. The event clashes with the end of the English domestic season due to which there will be no representation from England for the year.
2009 - An event with mixed feelings
The CL T-20 committee would have been relieved that the event finally got underway; however, the event wasn’t a mega success with none of the Indian teams making it into the semis. The ground preparations at Delhi came under the scanner and the audiences chose to stay away from the stadia (in complete contrast to IPL). New South Wales were crowned the champions, but the team that made an impact and won hearts was the Caribbean team, Trinidad & Tobago. The team came from nowhere and almost conquered the crown.
2010 – What’s in store?
The venue has changed, and rurprise rurprise its South Africa (SA)!! SA recently has been a hub for world sports and clearly a saving grace for world cricket. The format has changed from 4 groups of 3 teams to 2 groups of 5 teams with 2 teams from each group making it into semis. A more logical format I must say! At least teams have a chance to bounce back.
Since the event features franchise-based clubs unconstrained by national boundaries, there are instances of a player having to choose between two or more sides. And clearly the moolah has taken over patriotism (If a player chooses to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team in 2010, the 'away' team must pay $200,000 compensation to the 'home' team; Players like Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis and Cameron White are the prime examples). However, I am not sure whether players are even given choices!
As September 10th comes closer the broadcasters, sponsors and advertisers have grown active. 3 years ago, ESPN Star purchased the broadcasting rights of the Champions League T20 for an astronomical $975mn (approx Rs 4500cr). To derive maximum eyeballs, they have set aside a mega budget for an ad blitz. The grand old man of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachhan is seen jumping, growling and petrifying viewers. Does that entice families is a moot point. Airtel has purchased the title sponsorship rights for $38.4mn (Rs 176cr). The coverage in print media too has been quite extensive. So from a marketing point of view, the Champions League is making all the right noises.
All the 10 teams participating in the league look formidable with no clear favourites. However, it will be interesting to see the performance of the youngsters. Pollard’s innings on the Diwali night in last year’s CL made him win contracts with 3 counties including the highly priced contract with the Mumbai Indians. With auctions of IPL -4 just round the corner, all the players will surely be aware that 10 IPL franchisees will be watching them with their eyes wide open. Who will perform and who will buckle down under pressure remains to be seen.
Just as the stage was getting set for a grand event, the match fixing (spot fixing) saga rocked the cricketing world. The stories coming out each hour in relation to this turmoil are disturbing and in all likelihood, the CL-T 20 will be played under the shadow of this saga. But as it is said there is an opportunity in every adversity, If the event manages to win attention and hearts of the viewers /fans from the organization perspective and more importantly with the quality of cricket ICC may well consider a permanent windows for such events in their FTPs.
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