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Doors Open For CLT20's Return; ECB Chief Green-Lights Start Of World Club Championship

Debashis Sarangi

CLT20 could be restarted in a multi-team format [Source: @TheCricZone22/X]CLT20 could be restarted in a multi-team format [Source: @TheCricZone22/X]

In a major development, the ECB has shown its interest in launching a global T20 tournament similar to the much-loved Champions League. With franchise cricket taking centre stage in most of the cricket-playing nations, the governing body is exploring the possibilities of creating a financially sustainable T20 tournament to accommodate the top teams from lucrative leagues worldwide. 

ECB Supports Restart Of Champions League-Like Tournament

The Champions League used to be played between multiple T20 teams from around the globe, with the top IPL sides featuring in it. Despite hosting several eventful seasons, the competition was scrapped after six editions due to limited public following. 

Now, with almost every country hosting its own private league, the English board has supported the idea of conducting a global T20 tournament where top sides from different nations can participate. 

The ECB CEO, Richard Gould, termed the potential tournament as the World Club Championship, opening up on its commencement in the near future. 

"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," Gould was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo. 

While India conducts the IPL every year, the BBL grabs the limelight during the Australian summer in December-January. The ECB has successfully hosted several seasons of its unique tournament, The Hundred, while the SA20, CPL, ILT20 and MLC have witnessed multiple editions in South Africa, West Indies, UAE and the United States, respectively. 

The Champions League used to be governed by the BCCI, CA and CSA, while the ECB sent its teams to the tournament barring the final two seasons where the competition clashed with the County Championship. 

However, as the report claims, the English board will likely prefer The Hundred teams over the T20 Blast sides if the World Club Championship receives formal approval. Meanwhile, the biggest challenge for the decision-makers would be to find a suitable window for the tournament in an already jam-packed cricketing calendar.