Champions League Twenty20 schedule finalised

Televisionpoint.com Correspondent | Mumbai
The schedule and groupings for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 season were finalised on October 23 at the inaugural Twenty20 Champions Awards, which have been presented to the best performers from the domestic leagues of the constituent countries of Champions League.

ESPN Star Sports announced at the event that music legend A R Rahman would be composing the official anthem for Champions League Twenty20. Also present at the event were Sharad Pawar, president-elect, ICC; Lalit Modi, chairman, Champions League Twenty20; IS Bindra, principal advisor, CC and president, PCA; Manu Sawhney, managing director, ESPN Star Sports; and cricket stars from the past and present Indian and Australian teams, among others.

Lalit Modi said, "The performances by these cricketers have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide and added to the popularity of the game, bringing in colossal increase in the fan following globally. I would like to congratulate all the winners and hope that these awards will inspire domestic cricketers worldwide to perform even better and aid in taking the immensely popular Twenty20 format to the next level."

Manu Sawhney says, "Champions League Twenty20 is premium, aspirational, truly world class and the highest honor the game has to offer. In our mind, it is to cricket what A R Rahman is to music. And we are proud to announce that the legend will now compose the official anthem for Champions League Twenty20. This anthem will reverberate not just in India but will transcend all language barriers across the global cricket fraternity."

Kiwi wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, Australian southpaw Shaun Marsh, English batsman Graham Napier, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, ace speedster Sohail Tanvir, South Africans Yusuf Abdullah and Charl Langeveldt, Knight Riders' all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla and Middlesex big hitter Tyron Henderson were felicitated for their electrifying performances in domestic Twenty20 competitions leading into the Champions League T20 event.

The inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20 will offer teams $ 6 million as prize money, which will be shared between the teams and their players. The governing council of the event, together with its founding cricket boards, believes that the significant prize money to be shared by teams and players will ensure that the benefits of the event will foster cricket's development.