SLC support for Champions Twenty20 League

Chris Dhambarage reporting

CRICKET: Sri Lanka Cricket has thrown its support on the lucrative new Champions Twety20 League Cricket tournament which will take place next year in India with eight teams competing for prize money worth US dollars 5 million.

The Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Cricket Duleep Mendis said that they are pleased and happy to note that the BCCI is arranging the new Indian Premier League and the Champions Twenty20 tournament while keeping with the present trend in World Cricket.

"We at SLC release that the present Twenty20 format is quite popular amongst the cricket playing nations and it is important that we master this particular format as well.

On behalf of our chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa and members of the Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket I would like to wish the BCCI all the success in its endeavours to form the new Twenty20 cricket tournament" added Mendis.

The International Cricket Council full members have pledged to start a Champions Twenty20 League for World Domestic cricket which will pit the best of the best in domestic cricket against each other. The inaugural edition of the Champions Twenty20 League will be worked off in the first week of October next year in India.

Eight domestic teams from four nations will participate in the first ever Champions Twnety20 Trophy tournament for a prize money of US dollars 5 million which is the highest ever purse for a single cricket event.

Besides the ECB, Cricket Australia, Cricket South Africa, PCB, BCCI, cricket boards of New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh have all supported this venture. These members will join the league either by setting up their own domestic club league or participating in the domestic club leagues of one of the other countries.

The Champions Twenty20 concept was conceived by the BCCI in partnership with Cricket Australia. This is the first attempt of its kind in cricket and is aimed at producing more players capable of competing at the international level.

The Champions Twenty20 League's mission will be to promote and develop cricket right from the grass root level upwards and include good sportsmanship among all other players.

JOHANNESBURG, Monday.