England out in the cold

Modi: Exciting venture

The Champions Twenty20 League, which will be played by (the) eight best teams from the world which have earned their place through their domestic competitions, provides a new and exciting pinnacle for club championships across the world.

Lalit Modi
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The ECB's hopes of launching a rebel Champions League seem doomed to failure after Australia and South Africa agreed to join the Indian version.

The ECB have disagreed with the rules and regulations set down by the BCCI for a Twenty20 Champions League - with English cricket chiefs wanting an equal share of control and an amnesty for sides with ICL contracted players.

A failure by the ECB and the BCCI to thrash out an agreement led to England opening talks with the Abu Dhabi royal family to host a tournament in the UAE.

However, that now looks set to fail after Australia and South Africa came to an agreement to join the competition in India between September 29 and October.

Lalit Modi, chairman and commissioner of the Indian Premier League and BCCI vice-president, said: "The success of the IPL has undoubtedly captured the imagination of cricket supporters from around the world.

"The Champions Twenty20 League, which will be played by (the) eight best teams from the world which have earned their place through their domestic competitions, provides a new and exciting pinnacle for club championships across the world.

"It will provide teams with the opportunity to earn the title of World Club Champions in a format which will be eagerly anticipated by spectators and players alike. I keenly look forward to the inaugural season of the Champions Twenty20 League in September/October 2008."

Fantastic

James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, welcomed the agreement, adding: "This fantastic new competition gives our best state cricketers, and their equivalents in other competitions, a chance to pit their skills against champions from other countries.

"I'm also delighted that the benefits of this global event will flow down to state level and enhance cricket at grass-roots level.

"I'm certain it will add a whole new dimension to our own Twenty20 interstate competition and globally, will help us all in winning new fans for cricket around the world."

Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa's chief executive, added: "The Champions Twenty20 League is an idea whose time has come.

"I'm certain this competition will significantly enhance the international stature of domestic cricket and pave the way for greater involvement of cricketers, right from the club, province, state and county through to the national and international arenas.

"CSA is proud to be associated with this initiative and we are sure that this event will ignite the passion of cricket lovers the world over, quite along the lines of what we had experienced with both our current Standard Bank Pro20 and the recently held inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Cup held in South Africa last September."

The ECB now face a race against time to come to some agreement with India - or face missing out completely.

The hurdle, though, is likely to be over the possible inclusion of Kent, who qualified after reaching the Twenty20 finals but have two ICL players in their ranks.