Star-studded squads named for inaugural Airtel CLT20
Wed, 9 September 2009
The 12 teams are brimming with international stars, with the likes of Graeme Smith, Virender Sehwag, Brett Lee, Brendon McCullum, Paul Collingwood and Dwayne Bravo among those who will step on to domestic cricket's biggest stage when the tournament starts on October 8. Lalit Modi, Chairman, Airtel Champions League Twenty20, said: "Never before has a domestic cricket tournament featured as many cricket superstars as the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20." "As expected, almost all eligible international stars have confirmed their attendance at domestic cricket's showpiece event. "Picking a winner of the tournament is impossible. While some of the squads consist almost entirely of international players, there is enough high-class talent in all teams to ensure that no team enters the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 as overwhelming favourites. "With just 30 days to go until the first ball is bowled, today's announcement of the teams is another important milestone as we build towards the first match on October 8." Dean Kino, Champions League Twenty20 Governing Council Member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs, said: "When the Champions League Twenty20 concept was first devised by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa, we set out to create a tournament that reflected cricket's global appeal and would be a true test between the best of best. "The quality of players who will line up for their respective teams, coupled with the billions of people who will follow the tournament through host broadcaster ESPN Star Sports, will do this vision justice. "A number of players, including AB de Villiers, Paul Collingwood, Dirk Nannes and Daniel Vettori will represent their ‘away' teams in the tournament, highlighting the global nature of domestic Twenty20 cricket."
