CLT20 2014: Top cricketers choose IPL giants over domestic teams
The highly-awaited Champions League T20 tournament is scheduled to be played in India from September 13 to October 4.
All the players named by more than two teams for the Champions League Twenty20, including South African legend Jacques Kallis and West Indian dasher Kieron Pollard, have opted for their IPL franchises instead of their domestic teams.
"Eight players scheduled to take part in the competition were in high demand after being named in more than one squad, after their respective Twenty20 clubs from around the world qualified for the tournament," CLT20 organisers said in a statement.
The tournament is scheduled to be played in India from September 13 to October 4.
Explaining the process for deciding which teams these players would represent, CLT20 Governing Council member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs, Dean Kino, said like previous seasons, the IPL franchises will have to financially compensate the teams that the players have left.
"Like previous seasons, players who have been named by more than one team have been asked to nominate which side they are going to represent. Players are free to make any decision they wish. Teams are then allowed to replace any player that has withdrawn from their squad and elected to play for another side," he said.
"CLT20 regulations state that when a player elects to play for their 'away' team, that team must pay the 'home' team $150,000 compensation per player. A 'home' team is classified as a team from the country a player is eligible to represent in international cricket," he added.
Therefore, New Zealand's rising star Corey Anderson will play for Mumbai Indians, while Australia's George Bailey will turn up for Kings XI Punjab. Kallis has opted for Kolkata Knight Riders instead of Cape Cobras, while Pollard and Lasith Malinga have gone with Mumbai Indians.
The tournament will follow a format similar to the three previous editions, with a Group Stage preceded by a Qualifier. A total of 29 matches will be played in the competition. The Group Stage will be played from September 17 to October 4. It will feature 10 teams. The Qualifier will be played from September 13 to September 16.
At the Group stage, each side will play the other four in its group once, with the top two sides from each group going through to the semi-finals. In the Qualifier, all teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing to the Group Stage.
The top team from Group A will play the second-ranked team from Group B, and vice versa, in the semi-finals, both of which will be played at Hyderabad on October 2. Bengaluru will host the final on October 4.
Group A: Kolkata Knight Riders, Dolphins, Perth Scorchers, Chennai Super Kings, A team from the Qualifier.
Group B: Kings XI Punjab, Cape Cobras, Hobart Hurricanes, Barbados Tridents, A team from the Qualifier
Qualifier: Q1 - Lahore Lions, Q2 - Mumbai Indians, Q3 -Northern Knights, Q4 - Southern Express.
Squads(from):
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ashish Nehra, Mithun Manhas, R. Ashwin, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, John Hastings, Brendon McCullum, Samuel Badree, Francois Du Plessis
Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, Jacques Kallis, Ryan Ten Doeschate, Morne Morkel, Patrick Cummins, Andre Russell
Northern Knights: Ish Sodhi, Jono Boult, Brad Wilson, Kane Williamson, Daniel Flynn, BJ Watling, Graeme Aldridge, Anton Devcich, Tim Southee, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Daniel Harris, Scott Styris, Trent Boult, Daniel Vettori
Perth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Yasir Arafat, Michael Beer, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brad Hogg, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh, Joel Paris, Craig Simmons, Ashton Turner, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman
Kings XI Punjab: George Bailey, Thisara Perera, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, Akshar Rajesh Patel, Karanveer Singh, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Manan Vohra, Mandeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Virender Sehwag, Wriddhiman Saha, Anureet Singh, Parvinder Awana
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Aditya Tare, Jalaj Saxena, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Mike Hussey, Kieron Pollard, Corey Anderson, Lasith Malinga, Marchant De Lange, Lendl Simmons
Southern Express: Kusal Janith Perera, Danushka Gunatilake, Angelo Perera, Jehan Mubarak, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perara, Prasanna Seekuge, Ishan Jayaratne, Farvees Maharoof, Kasun Madushanka, Yasoda Lanka, Charith Jayampathi, Sachith Pathirana, Sandaken Lakshen, Dilshan T.M
Cape Cobras: Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Justin Kemp, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Richard Levi, Aviwe Mgijima, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Zakhele Qwabe, Omphile Ramela, Stiaan Van Zyl, Dane Vilas
Lahore Lions: Mohammed Hafeez, Ahmad Shahzad, Umar Siddique Khan, Muhammad Umar Akmal, Nasir Jamshaid, Muhammad Salman Ali, Asif Raza, Muhammad Mustafa Iqbal, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Bin Ilyas Cheema, Imran Ali, Saad Naseem, Adnan Rasool, Muhammad Saeed, Ali Manzoor
Hobart Hurricanes: Tim Paine, Jon Wells, Evan Gulbis, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Dom Michael, Sam Rainbird, Travis Birt, Doug Bollinger, Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Boyce, Joe Mennie, Ben Laughlin, Ben Dunk, Shoaib Malik
Dolphins: Daryn Smit, Daryn Miles Dupavillon, Cody Chetty, Vaughn Bernard Van Jaarsveld, Khayelihle Zondo, Robert Frylinck, Morne Nico Van Wyk, Kyle John Abbott, Craig John Alexander, Jonathan David Vandiar, Keshav Athmanand Maharaj, Prenelan Subrayen, Cameron Scott Delport, Andile Lucky Phehlukwayo, Bongumusa Sibonelo Makhanya
Barbados Tridents: Shane Dowrich, Jeevan Mendis, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Neil Mckenzie, Akeal Hosein, Ravi Rampaul, Rayad Emrit, Raymon Reifer, Kyle Mayers, William Perkins, James Franklin, Elton Chigumbura, Dilshan Munaweera