Old wine in a new bottle?

Bengaluru: Cricket flirted with its own global showdown of club titans, on the lines of UEFA Champions League in football, from the late 2000s. But it had to be wrapped up after a few years with few takers for the franchise tournament.

The reasons were many but, fans around the world may soon witness the rebirth of this long-forgotten dream. More than a decade after the demise of the Champions League T20 (CLT20), plans are underway to relaunch the tournament next year under a new banner: the T20 Club World Cup Championship.

Spearheaded by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), with strong backing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and blessings of ICC chairman Jay Shah, this initiative aims to revive the spirit of international club competition in cricket.

The inaugural meeting for this ambitious relaunch was recently held in London. Representatives from several top franchise leagues reportedly attended, though the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was conspicuously absent despite having been invited. The reasons for their non-participation remain unclear, but highlights early hurdles the tournament faces even at the discussion stage.

The original Champions League T20 was launched in 2008 with much fanfare, and the first edition was held in 2009, promising an elite competition that brought together the best T20 teams from leagues in India, Australia, South Africa among others. Yet despite high-profile matches and big-name players, the tournament failed to capture the imagination of fans. Poor TV ratings, dismal ticket sales and scheduling headaches led to its discontinuation in 2014.

The primary culprit? Oversaturation. Cricket calendars were jam-packed. With domestic leagues such as the IPL, Big Bash, CPL and others commanding large audiences, besides round-the-year international cricket across formats, fans had little appetite for yet another T20 competition. This "spectator fatigue" was one of the fatal flaws of the CLT20, and it casts a long shadow over the T20 Club World Cup proposal as well.

Eleven years have passed since the last CLT20 match, but the environment has only grown more complex. The ICC has since introduced new global tournaments, including an expanded T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship. Major boards guard their franchise windows fiercely, ensuring their own leagues aren't affected by either competing events or international fixtures. It’s clear that the new venture must tread carefully to avoid repeating history.

Interestingly, there's more to this revival than just cricket. A geopolitical subplot may be unfolding behind all these movements. By all indications, one of the driving motivations behind a renewed push for this tournament is to counter or discourage Saudi Arabia’s growing interest in cricket. The Gulf kingdom, having already shaken up the global sports scene by pumping in multi-billion-dollar forays into football and golf, is rumored to be planning a lavishly funded T20 league of its own.

Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia has earmarked a staggering $400 million for its T20 ambitions, with some initial support even coming from quarters in Australia. This potential disruptor has caught the attention of the sport’s current powerhouses, notably India and England. By relaunching a globally backed, ICC-endorsed T20 Club World Cup, the ECB and BCCI may be attempting to consolidate control and shape the narrative before Saudi-backed alternatives can take root.

ECB CEO Richard Gould, in a recent interview, indicated that plans for the World Club Championship were nearing finalisation with a women’s version of the tournament likely to be launched in the future.

“That is on the cards. Without a doubt, at some point, there will be a World Club Championship for both men and women. That's the next logical step,” Gould said while terming the launch of the tournament as the "next logical step."

But intentions alone, however well-intended, won't guarantee success. The biggest challenge remains carving out a viable window in an already choked international calendar. Boards are reluctant to compromise with their revenue-spinning domestic T20 league schedules. 

Then there's the commercial angle. Will broadcasters, who already pour billions into events like the IPL and ICC World Cups, show the same enthusiasm for a revived club competition? The previous CLT20 struggled to generate TV viewership beyond India, despite star-studded line-ups. Organisers must find a way to ignite global interest while avoiding the traps of the past.

A lot of brain-storming is needed over the format of the tournament, the kinds of teams that take part, the venues and the duration. But all of these ideas require strategic planning, consensus among cricket boards and, perhaps most critically, distribution of financial incentives.

While still in the early stages of development, its success or failure will likely depend on how well the sport’s traditional powers maneuver the evolving scenario of commercial needs and an ever-demanding fanbase. If done right, it could finally realise the dream of a club-based global cricket. But if implemented just to negate competition or for the sake of expansion, it risks going the way of its predecessor.

Either way, the cricketing world will be watching closely.