The advent of the Indian Premier League, or IPL for short, in 2008 also led to the formation of a tournament that many cricket fans remember fondly – the Champions League T20 or CLT20. Modelled similarly to the UEFA Champions League in football, it saw the best teams from every major country’s franchises come together to take part in a cup competition.
The format was largely well accepted but not seen as financially sustainable at the time, which is why it eventually folded in 2014. But there have been increased talks about the tournament coming back.
And now a news report says that a call to relaunch the tournament has been successful, with a September 2026 return on the cards for the competition.
Details Scarce on Revamped CLT20
As of now, there are no details beyond this, with the report in the Australian newspaper Sydney Morning Herald making it clear that the finer details are yet to be discussed.
However, if it were to be launched, it would be a massive boost for franchise cricket as a whole and provide another competition for teams to compete in.
The first iteration of the tournament, that lasted from 2008-14, saw Cricket South Africa and the England and Wales Cricket Board partner with the BCCI to run the league.
However, falling ratings and an overinflated broadcast right fee from then-holders ESPN Star led to the plug being pulled on the tournament in 6 years.
How Will The New League Function?
Of course, the world of franchise cricket has largely changed since then – but it has also made questions around a CLT20-type tournament even more complex.
IPL teams dominate world cricket not just on but off the field, and many IPL team owners actually own teams overseas – the SA20 being a key example where all 6 teams are IPL-owned.
Many players also happen to appear for multiple franchises under one umbrella – Sunil Narine and Andre Russell are two such examples, as they play for multiple Knight Rider-owned franchises.
These are questions that will need answering but it appears the tournament is set to make a much-awaited comeback.