JOIN USAll to play for as qualifiers get underway
Still struggling to come to terms with the twin blows dealt by the passing away of budding cricketers Ayazuddin and his cousin Ajmal-ur-Rehman, the association is practical enough to realise that it must get its act together with the six-match qualifying round that is imminent. Three of the six teams will make it through the main draw in the first ever experiment in this competition to avoid a dilution of the tournament. While the sextet might not appear the most glamorous outfits, a plethora of current and former internationals will lend quality, class and interest to the proceedings.
With the International Cricket Council having officially provided a window for CLT20, the best in the business will be on view when the tournament proper kicks off in Bangalore on Friday. Only England and the West Indies will be fighting it out internationally during the early stages of the competition, thereby hitting Somerset’s chances particularly hard, but the rest of the teams in the qualifying phase will be out in full swing when action unfolds at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Monday.
At 42, Sanath Jayasuriya is the oldest hand in the competition, the former skipper representing Sri Lankan T20 champions Ruhunu. Wayamba, who won through to the CLT20 for the first two years, were hardly competitive in that tournament, nor were New Zealand sides in the past, which is why the CL committee was forced to come up with this revamped format involving a qualifying competition.
Three sides from India, and two each from Australia and South Africa – the three founding fathers of the Champions League – have direct entries to the tournament. Three more out of Kolkata Knight Riders, Ruhunu, Trinidad & Tobago, the Auckland Aces, Leicestershire and Somerset will join them in the main draw, and while injuries and international commitments might have kept some big names – including KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir – away, there is enough substance to make the first phase exciting and competitive.
Sadly, the response to the event has been less than lukewarm, ticket sales extremely disappointing with the continuing Telengana agitation throwing a further spanner in the works. Empty seats, however, are unlikely to take the focus away from the participants, who will eye a share of the big pie that is a direct fall-out of being a part of the Champions League.
The six teams have been drawn into two groups of three each, with the two group toppers winning automatic qualification and being joined by the team that has the best record among the other four. As such, there is plenty to play for for teams and individuals alike, with Jayasuriya and Abdul Razzaq the principal attractions.
Razzaq is the lone Pakistani in the competition and will turn out for English champions Leicestershire. The explosive all-rounder hadn’t arrived in the city of Nawabs until late on Sunday evening, but he has already made it clear that he is coming here not just to play cricket. “I want to go there with a message for the Indians that there is a need for both countries to have normal, frequent bilateral ties in cricket and in other sports as well. It is necessary for both countries to keep on playing against each other because sports helps heal a lot of problems,” he said.
Murali Kartik, overlooked by KKR in the last auction and bought by Pune Warriors, will feel the need to prove a point playing for Somerset, who will be without Craig Kieswetter, Jos Buttler and George Dockrell, all away on international duty. Trinidad & Tobago will be minus Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard but will still pack a punch, while Auckland can be counted on to be up for a scrap, considering the depth lent by the experience of men like Martin Guptill, Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey, Lou Vincent and Chris Martin.
CLT20 factfile
* Three teams out of the six in the qualifying phase will enter the tournament proper
* The six teams in the qualifying phase have been drawn into two pools of three each
* Pool-toppers will automatically go through to the main tournament.
* The third team will be the one that has the best record among the other four.
* Groupings: Pool A: Ruhuna, Trinidad & Tobago, Leicestershire. Pool B: Auckland, Kolkata Knight Riders, Somerset.
* Monday’s matches: Ruhunu vs T&T (4.00 pm); Auckland vs KKR (8.00 pm).