Champions League schedule announced; Hyderabad to host the final

By pratik
for Cricketain.com

Published: July 31, 2009

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Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore, runners-up of the Indian Premier League 2009, will face South Africa’s Cape Cobras in the opening match of the $6 million Champions League T20 tournament that will be held from October 8-23 with the first match to be played in Bangalore on October 8.

Hyderabad will host the final on October 23 as well as the second semi-final on October 22 while Delhi will host the first semi-final on October 21, as per the draw and match schedule announced on Thursday by the CLT20 Governing Council.

Three teams from the IPL will be participating in the league – winners Deccan Chargers, runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, the top finishers after the league phase.

Cricket Australia and South Africa, the other two founder members of the tournament, will have two teams each while an equal number of teams will represent the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The remaining three teams will be from New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

The teams have been divided into four groups of three each in the first phase out of which 8 teams will move to the second phase of the tournament.

After the teams play their respective group rivals in round one, to be held from October 8-14, the top two teams will qualify for the second league phase, to be held from October 15-19.

The eight teams to reach the second league phase will be split into two groups of four each. The top four teams from the second phase will progress to the semi-finals (October 21 and 22) and the winners of the semi-finals will clash in the grand final on October 23.

There will be a total of 23 matches spread over 16 days and matches will be held at 4 pm and 8 pm IST.

CLT20 Chairman Lalit Modi said after the schedule was finalised that it was the ideal tournament to “crown the best of the best in domestic Twenty20 cricket worldwide”.

“It is set to provide domestic cricketers with the ultimate talent showcase, one which I am certain will inspire and motivate future generations of club, state and county cricketers, while accelerating the development of the game globally and the careers of those involved,” Modi said.

Apart from Modi the other members of the CLT20 Governing Council are N Srinivasan, James Sutherland, Niranjan Shah, Dean Kino and Gerald Majola.

In order to simplify the logistics the teams that move into the second league phase will maintain their position from the earlier group stage.

Groups:

Group A: A1 – Deccan Chargers Hyderabad (Ind), A2 – ECB2 (To be decided), A3 – Trinidad and Tobago (WI).

Group B: B1 – New South Wales Blues (Aus), B2 – Diamond Eagles (SA), B3 – ECB1 (To be decided).

Group C: C1 – Royal Challengers Bangalore (Ind), C2 – Cape Cobras (SA), C3 – Otago Volts (NZ).

Group D: D1 – Delhi Daredevils (Ind), D2 – Victoria Bushrangers (Aus), D3 – Wayamba (SL).

Schedule: (All timings are IST)

Oct 8: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Cape Cobras at Bangalore – 8 pm.

Oct 9: NSW Blues v Diamond Eagles at Delhi – 4 pm

Delhi Daredevils v Victorian Bushrangers – 8pm

Oct 10: Cape Cobras v Otago Volts at Hyderabad – 4 pm

Deccan Chargers v ECB2 at Hyderabad – 8 pm

Oct 11: NSW Blues v ECB1 at Delhi – 4 pm

Delhi Daredevils v Wayamba at Delhi – 8pm (More)

Oct 12: ECB2 v Trinidad and Tobago at Bangalore – 4 pm

Royal Challengers v Otago Volts at Bangalore – 8pm

Oct 13: Victorian Bushrangers v Wayamba at Delhi – 4 pm

Diamond Eagles v ECB1 at Delhi – 8pm

Oct 14: Deccan Chargers v Trinidad and Tobago – 8 pm

Second stage:

League A: A1, A2, B2, B2

League B: C1, C2, D1, D2

Oct 15: C1 v D2 (League B) at Bangalore – 8 pm

Oct 16: A2 v B2 (League A) at Hyderabad – 4 pm

A1 v B1 (League A) at Hyderabad – 8pm

Oct 17: C2 v D2 (League B) at Bangalore – 4 pm

C1 v D1 (League B) at Bangalore – 8pm

Oct 18: A2 v B1 (League A) at Hyderabad – 4 pm

A1 v B2 (League A) at Hyderabad – 8 pm

Oct 19: C2 v D1 (League B) at Delhi – 8 pm

Oct 21: Semi Final 1: Winners of League B v runners-up of League A at Delhi – 8 pm

Oct 22: Semi Final 2: Winners of League A v runners-up of League B at Hyderabad – 8 pm

Oct 23: Final: Winners of SF 1 and 2 at Hyderabad – 8 pm.

Tagged with: Australia, Cape Cobras, Champions League T20, CLT20, Dean Kino, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Diamond Eagles, England, Gerald Majola, Indian Premier League, James Sutherland, Lalit Modi, Mumbai, N Srinivasan, New South Wales Blues, New Zealand, Niranjan Shah, Otago Volts, Royal Challengers Bangalore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Twenty20, Victoria Bushrangers, Wales Cricket Board, West Indies

Champions League schedule announced; Hyderabad to host the final

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