Champions League Twenty20 has failed to capture the imagination

By Roshan Thyagarajan
Five seasons of the Champions League Twenty20 have gone by and it still has people questioning its existence. One would have expected differently of a tournament that was based on one of football’s marquee events.

The CLT20 has failed to rope in an audience like the Indian Premier League - not even remotely. But Lalit Modi’s brainchild is pretty sound as a concept. And yet, surprisingly, it has failed to capture the imagination. A good indication of the appeal of the tournament is the lack of crowds at most venues.

The qualifiers of the Oppo Champions League Twenty20 2014 were in Raipur, and the stands at the smaller centre were packed, but larger cities around the country barely see half the seats at the venue occupied despite a considerable reduction in ticket prices.

Even television audiences are dwindling. The CLT20 organising committee introduced a qualifying round for the tournament from 2011, which meant a fourth IPL side could be in the main draw.

Three or four top IPL teams in the fray should have enhanced viewership ratings, but it remains unlikely that the CLT20 will draw the same kind of attention that the IPL has. The IPL’s biggest strength, apart from the presence of some of the most entertaining cricketers from around the world, is its local appeal.

Though the number of ‘star’ players representing their respective state, or city of birth, has dwindled over the years, the tournament, which was inaugurated in 2008, has already established its fan base.

People support the team that is based out of their city now, rather than swap allegiance based on players moving teams. This year, there are three IPL teams amongst the ten gunning for the CLT20 title. But of the four cities that will play host this season, only one – Mohali – has a team in the tournament.

The other cities – Hyderabad, Bangalore and Raipur – are surrogates. Instead of conducting the tournament in centres that already host enough cricket, it should move to centres which seldom have the chance to witness some of the best Twenty20 cricketers in the world.

Either that, or the tournament will find itself running out of options.

- Wisden India