The proposed revival of a Champions League-style global T20 tournament, potentially titled the World Club Championship (WCC), has hit a major stumbling block. And this is due to no commitment from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Without the participation of the two subcontinental giants, the tournament’s commercial viability and global appeal are already under serious scrutiny.
No India, No Pakistan—No buzz?
Initial reports about the WCC suggested a renewed push by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and ICC chairman Jay Shah to revive the defunct Champions League T20, which ran from 2009 to 2014. The new tournament was expected to feature champion clubs from major leagues such as the IPL, PSL, SA20, ILT20, BBL, CPL, and The Hundred. However, fresh updates from Cricket Pakistan and PTI suggest that there is no formal agreement in place, and more crucially, no official participation from either India or Pakistan.
A source told Cricket Pakistan, “There has been no official decision to hold such a tournament. So the question of Pakistan being excluded does not arise.” In fact, reports indicate that no PSL or PCB representatives were present at the recent cricket officials’ meeting in England, where the topic wasn’t even formally discussed.
As for India, while the BCCI has shown interest and even backed the idea in principle, no IPL franchise has been confirmed for the tournament. Sources told PTI, “Though the planned event has the backing of the Indian board, for the inaugural championship there will be no IPL participation.”
Back in February, ECB chief Richard Gould had hinted at a “World Club Championship for both men and women” as the logical next step in franchise cricket’s evolution. But even then, experts warned of a lack of available window. With the T20 World Cup in early 2026, followed immediately by the IPL, fitting another multi-league tournament into an already packed calendar could prove impractical.
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 |
