PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Trinidad & Tobago will be one of the dozen sides taking part in this year’s Champions’ League Twenty20 championship later this year.
Forbes Persaud, chief executive of the T&T Cricket Board, hailed the achievement, after confirmation came that the regional Twenty20 champions would be part of the competition from October 8 to 23 in India.
“We saw the tremendous benefits of having T&T play in this tournament, and this is why we approached the West Indies Cricket Board for them to lobby for us to be included,” he said.
“This tournament will be the highest that a regional team can participate in, and we are very happy with the fact that our team will be there in India to participate.”
Deryck Murray, president of the T&TCB, had approached the WICB last year to have T&T included in the Twenty20 Champions League.
At the time, the WICB had made the request to the organisers, but it was turned down, as it was too late to have the regional champions included. But T&T were fortunate that the competition was postponed and this has led to their inclusion.
Prize money for the tournament will be US $6 million, and the draw will be held in London on June 23 after which the venues will be finalised.
Teams from the top eight Test-playing nations, except Pakistan, will take part in the competition which features 23 matches.
The teams will be divided into four groups of three each to play on a league basis before the top two teams from each group move on to the second stage.
The four top teams from there will play the semifinals.
