Even as several cricket boards strive to schedule a date for their domestic franchise leagues, the defunct Champions League T20 is likely to be revived. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in talks with Jay Shah, the ICC chairman, for a possible revival of the global T20 tournament to be renamed as the World Club Championship next year, as per The Cricketer.
Earlier, the ECB chief executive Richard Gould confirmed to ESPNCricinfo last month about a possible revival of the CLT20. Now, it is inching closer to becoming a reality. Currently, the ECB is in talks with BCCI and Cricket Australia. In its first edition, the World Club Championship is likely to follow the CLT20 format. The only addition will be teams from new leagues such as SA20, ILT20 and The Hundred. In the last edition of CLT20 in 2014, it was a 10-team affair with three teams from IPL and two teams each from the BBL and the now-defunct Ram Slam T20 Challenge from South Africa.
“That is on the cards. Without doubt, at some point, there will be a World Club Championship for both men and women. That’s the next logical step,” Richard Gould told ESPNCricinfo.
The demise of CLT20
While Champions League T20 was launched in 2009, riding on the popularity of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, the tournament failed to take off. Poor TV viewership led to a struggle for sponsorships. Ultimately, in 2015, it was scrapped. Only India and South Africa hosted six editions of the tournament before it was cancelled.
| Year | Host | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | India | New South Wales Blues | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 2010 | South Africa | Chennai Super Kings | Warriors |
| 2011 | India | Mumbai Indians | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| 2012 | South Africa | Sydney Sixers | Lions |
| 2013 | India | Mumbai Indians | Rajasthan Royals |
| 2014 | India | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata Knight Riders |
World Club Championship 2026
While reports claim that the World Cup Championship 2026, if launched, will follow the same format as the CLT20. In that case, IPL will get a minimum of three entries. The rest of the teams will come from other top T20 leagues, including PSL, BBL, SA20, CPL, and The Hundred. If launched in 2026, defending IPL champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be one of the teams.
However, the tournament may struggle to find a window. With the T20 World Cup set for February-March and IPL 2026 to follow in the March-May window, other T20 leagues like PSL will struggle to find a window. Hence, it will be a challenge for the ECB to accommodate the World Club Championship.
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