PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Only one Caribbean team will participate in the Club Champions League, dashing hopes that two sides from the region would have been granted entry in the lucrative Twenty20 tournament which bowls off in September.
Organisers had been mulling over allowing the winners of the upcoming regional T20 Championship, as well as the runners-up, to participate in the September 10-26 tournament in South Africa, with the English teams ruled out of the tournament because of scheduling issues. However, organisers have reduced the number of teams from 12 to 10 and opted to allow just one Caribbean side. India, England, Australia and South Africa are all allowed to field the winner and runners-up from their domestic T20 competitions.
Last year, Trinidad and Tobago made a huge impact on the tournament, playing unbeaten to reach the final before losing to Australian unit New South Wales. With England missing this year, India will field three teams – Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings, along with beaten finalists Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
They will join the Victoria Bushrangers and South Australia Redbacks from Australia; the Warriors and Highveld Lions from South Africa, the Central Stags from New Zealand and the Wayamba Elevens from Sri Lanka.
