The Climactic End of the T20 Champions League

(Sachin Tendulkar coming out to bat in the CLT20)

Imagine Kieron Pollard playing in a T20 League but against Mumbai Indians or Morne Morkel playing against Albie Morkel. These are some legendary T20 battles that are almost impossible for cricket fans to watch these days. But there was a time when these clashes happened due to the Champions League T20. Nowadays, fans are able to watch Dhoni against Rohit, Kohli against Dhoni, Warner against Smith, and several other International teammates against each other with the help of the national T20 leagues. However, the Champions League T20 was the one and only International T20 League, where the top teams from different T20 Leagues competed against each other, to be the overall champion. But the main question is, how did the Champions League T20 begin, and what was the idea behind it?

How Was the T20 Champions League Born?

The shorter format of the game, T20 cricket, was being promoted a lot both domestically and internationally during the years between 2003 and 2007. This was started by the England and Wales Cricket Board but the idea even inspired the International Cricket Council to host the first T20 World Cup, which was played in the year 2007. At this time, the first attempt at a league similar to the Champions League T20 was made, as the first International 20:20 Club Championship was played in the year 2005. This tournament had the top domestic teams from three nations.

(Kieron Pollard with the CLT20 Trophy)

The first season of the Indian Premier League was played in the year 2007, and after the tournament’s success, the chairpersons of India, Australia, and South Africa cricket authorities met each other regarding the discussion of the success of the T20 Leagues. It was decided that the top teams from the T20 Leagues of England, Australia, India, and South Africa, would be going against each other in the Champions League T20. After that, the plans regarding the tournament were placed down towards late 2007. It was also decided that the first season of the Champions League T20 will be played in India in the year 2008. However, due to the Mumbai attacks, the inaugural season of the Champions League T20 was played in the year 2009.

Champions League T20 All Seasons

Seven seasons of the Champions League T20 have been played till the tournament came to an end in the year 2014. Let's have a look at each season of the tournament and which team won the finals:

CLT20 2008

The first season of the Champions League T20 was cancelled due to the terror attacks which took place in Mumbai. India, being the hosts of the tournament, met with the England, Australia, and South Africa cricket boards and the first season of the tournament was officially cancelled.

(Gambhir coming out to bat in the CLT20)

There were a total of 8 teams that were a part of this season, which included Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from the IPL, Victoria and Western Australia from the Australian domestic, and other teams like Sialkot Stallions, Titans, Middlesex, and Dolphins.

CLT20 2009

The second edition of the Champions League T20 was again hosted in India, and this time the tournament consisted of 12 teams. The final match of the tournament was played at the iconic Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium between New South Wales Blues and Trinidad and Tobago.

(New South Wales Blues after winning the finals)

New South Wales Blues batted first and set the target of 160 runs for Trinidad and Tobago. Unfortunately, Trinidad and Tobago fell short by 41 runs in chasing the target, which allowed New South Wales Blues to win the first CLT20 title. Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the IPL teams that participated in this tournament.

CLT20 2010

The third CLT20 edition was hosted by South Africa, and this time Chennai Super Kings dominated the tournament. Although there were only ten teams that participated in this tournament, it was even more intense for the cricket fans than the previous edition. Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the teams that took part in this tournament, the IPL.

(Chennai Super Kings with the CLT20 2010 Trophy)

In the final match at the Wanderers Stadium, Chennai Super Kings clashed against the Warriors. Batting first, the Warriors were only able to score 128 runs with the loss of 6 wickets. Chennai Super Kings chased down the target with 8 wickets remaining and Murali Vijay was the player of the match, scoring 58 runs in 53 balls.

CLT20 2011

The 2011 season of the Champions League was sponsored by Nokia, and this time, the format of the tournament changed. Seven teams were confirmed regarding their participation in the tournament while six other teams fought against each other in the qualifying stages, of which three teams made it to the tournament.

(Mumbai Indians with the CLT20 2011 Trophy)

In the final match being played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Mumbai Indians defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore to win their first CLT20 title. Mumbai Indians batted first but got all out at the score of 132. Fans thought that this was RCB's game to win, but Mumbai bowlers had other plans. In turn, Royal Challengers Bangalore got all out at the score of 108, as Harbhajan Singh was the Player of the Match with 3 wickets, conceding 20 runs.

CLT20 2012

The fifth edition of the Champions League T20 saw the highest number of participating teams, as 14 teams participated in total. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata Knight Riders made it together to the main stage of the tournament.

(Sydney Sixers with their first CLT20 Title)

However, the finals were being played at the Wanderers Stadium between Sydney Sixers and Lions. Lions batted first but got all out at the score of 121 runs. Chasing the target, Sydney Sixers dominated the game, winning by 10 wickets and 52 balls remaining. Michael Lumb was the Player of the Match, scoring 82 runs in just 42 balls to help the team win.

CLT20 2013

The 2013 edition of the Champions League T20 was again hosted in India, and 12 teams participated in the tournament. Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, and Chennai Super Kings were the IPL teams that were able to compete in this tournament against the other teams.

(Mumbai Indians winning the CLT20 for the second time)

The final match was played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Ground between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Mumbai batted first and set a target of 203 for Rajasthan. Harbhajan Singh dominated with the bowl, taking 4 wickets while conceding 32 runs, as Rajasthan Royals got all out at the score of 169. Therefore, Mumbai Indians won their second CLT20 title, and Harbhajan Singh was again the Player of the Match.

CLT20 2014

The seventh and last edition of the Champions League T20 was hosted in India. Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, and Chennai Super Kings were the IPL teams that were selected for this edition due to their dominant performance in the IPL season. The final match of the tournament was being played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Kolkata Knight Riders batted first and set a target of 181 runs with the help of Gautam Gambhir, who scored 80 of 52.

(Chennai Super Kings winning their second CLT20 title)

However, Chennai Super Kings chased down the target with 8 wickets and 9 balls to spare. Pawan Negi was the Player of the Match with 5 wickets and conceded 22 runs in his spell. This also helped Chennai Super Kings to tie with Mumbai Indians in being the most successful CLT20 team.

Why did CLT20 Come to an End?

The Champions League T20, which was a place where the most epic T20 clashes took place, came to an unfortunate end on 15 July 2015, when all the three Cricket boards involved in it made a mutual decision to end the same. There were a number of reasons behind which this tournament came to an end, which included low viewership, unstable sponsorships, and also the lack of interest from the viewers. This was followed by the ban on IPL betting by the Indian Supreme Court, which also gave a two-year ban to Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings on spot-fixing.

(MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli in the Champions League T20)

Many cricket enthusiasts even say that the Champions League T20 had popular IPL teams, but it also had some lesser-known teams, due to which the tournament had low viewership while having great potential. Another reason that the analysts say is that the players were a big issue for the teams, as the same player who plays for two different teams in different T20 Leagues caused a challenge for them to decide which team they would be playing. With a number of issues, both onscreen and offscreen, the Champions League T20 came to an end. But since then, the growth of T20 cricket has been inevitable, which raises the question of whether Champions League T20 will restart or not.