South Africa will host the fifth season of the upcoming Champions League T20. The matches are scheduled to be held in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Centurion and Durban.. A member of the committee, Sunder Raman though tweeted that the Matches to start off on the 8th of October and closing on the 28th October.
The climate as observed during the last year Australian tour, Johannesburg and the Centurion would be quite comfortable and the weatherman to record around twenty degrees as the summer sets in. Durban would be warmer while Cape Town would be cooler. The pitches are quite conducive to good cricket in Johannesburg and the Centurion. Durban pitches can favour the fast bowlers.
There are reports to prove that the Governing Council met last month. The motive was to plan and decide on the gaming format, whether to be updated or not, yet there have been no formal updates from any of the committee members. A new buzz which has been quite confirmed is that the Sialkot Stallions would be included this season, something for the Pakistan supporters to cheer for.
The other teams that would join in are this year’s top four IPL teams, Kolkata knight Riders followed by the Chennai Super Kings, the Delhi Daredevils and the Mumbai Indians. The Auckland Aces, the team from New Zealand also have confirmed entry with the Trinidad & Tobago from West Indies. The Sydney Sixers and the Perth Scorchers from Australia’s Big Bash League would be joining with the Titans and the Lions from South Africa as well. The Sri Lankan and England teams could be decided only the after next month’s due Sri Lanka Premier League and the on-going Friends Life T20.
It is known that the Indian teams would not be facing some unknown venue as the 2010 season was held in South Africa as well. With the Champions League going abroad, the franchisees are not too enthusiastic. There would be no home sponsorships due to low exposure and increased operating costs. The franchisees can definitely hope to cash in on their foreign fan base. The Kolkata team might have earn some hearts with this year’s IPL win.
The CSA would get a share of the profits while the home teams would be getting participation fee and awards. The venues would be get the entire hosting fees.
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