After 20 days of high voltage cricket ended in title triumph for the West Indies, it will be an opportunity for some of the Indian boys, who missed the semifinal berth in the ICC World T20, to redeem themselves when the Champions League Twenty20 kicks off in Johannesberg on Tuesday.
Published: Oct 08, 2012, 04:30 PM (IST)
Edited: Oct 08, 2012, 04:30 PM (IST)
Gautam Gambhir, who will be leading Kolkata Knight Riders in Champions League T20 2012, scored only 80 runs in five matches in ICC World T20 2012 © Getty Images
Johannesburg: Oct 8, 2012
After 20 days of high voltage cricket ended in title triumph for the West Indies, it will be an opportunity for some of the Indian boys, who missed the semifinal berth in the ICC World T20, to redeem themselves when the Champions League Twenty20 kicks off in Johannesberg on Tuesday.
The league will witness four Indian Premier League franchisees — this season’s IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) — vying for the coveted title.
However, the action will start with the qualifying round, which begins with the match between Sri Lanka’s Uva Next and England’s Yorkshire, both of whom are making their debut in the cash-rich tournament.
The encounter between Thilina Kandamby’s men and Andrew Gale’s unit will be followed by the clash between Auckland Aces and Sialkot Stallions, who are also laying their claim in the championship for the first time.
A total of six teams, that will be contesting to make their entry into the main tournament, have been segregated in two different pools with the top team from each group advancing to the next stage.
While Pool 1 consists of New Zealand’s Auckland Aces, England’s Hampshire and Pakistan’s Sialkot Stallions, Pool 2 comprises of Trinidad & Tobago, Uva and Yorkshire.
The Indians though will not be seen in action before the main tournament, which kicks off on October 13, when Gautam Gambhir-led KKR take on Delhi Daredevils.
Daredevils have still to prove themselves in this championship and it will also be an opportunity for their new skipper Mahela Jayawardene to redeem himself after he lost the final of the World T20 Championship to the Caribbean side.
The 35-year-old was entrusted with the responsibility of leading the side after Virender Sehwag reportedly requested to be relieved from the burden of captaincy to concentrate on his batting. (PTI)
