16 September 2013 :: The Champions League Twenty20, also referred to as the CLT20, is an annual international Twenty20 cricket competition played between the top domestic teams from major cricketing nations. The competition was launched in 2008 with the first edition held in October 2009.
Teams for 2013.
Chennai Super Kings – India
Captain: MS Dhoni
Coach: Stephen Fleming
CLT20 Best: 2010 Champions
Owned by India Cements, the Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most consistent performers in T20 cricket. Finishing as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the IPL, they bagged the title in 2010 and 2011. In addition to winning the IPL in 2010, they also won the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa in 2010, to make it a double victory. They were the runners up during the 2012 & 2013 seasons. Led by India captain MS Dhoni, CSK is the only IPL team to have retained their core group of players since their first season.
Mumbai Indians – India
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Coach: John Wright
CLT20 Best: 2011 Champions
Mumbai Indians is the Mumbai-based IPL franchise owned by IndiaWin Sports Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai Indians has had a phenomenal rise both on and off the field, emerging as the most popular team in Indian Sports in little over four years. As a brand, Mumbai Indians was ranked No. 1 cricket club in India and was placed at 146th among 250 World’s Best Sports Brands (Ref:Brand Finance pls, UK 2012). In the Social Media space, Mumbai Indians have earned the respect and affection of close to 3.3 million fans, one of the largest fan base in Indian sports club culture. Mumbai Indians’ on field performance has been remarkable, emerging as winners of IPL 2013 and Champions League T20 2011, while finishing among top teams in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Mumbai Indians promotes togetherness, team spirit and cohesiveness in diversity.
Rajasthan Royals – India
Captain: Rahul Dravid
Coach: Paddy Upton
CLT20 Best:
Owned by Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt. Ltd., the Rajasthan Royals have been the quintessential underdogs of the IPL since they stunned the big-budget teams to clinch the inaugural title, in 2008. In 2013, under the strong and astute leadership of Rahul Dravid and Head Coach-Paddy Upton, the Royals found their mojo and knocked off many a star-studded outfit to secure a place in the IPL Playoffs. After finishing third on the points table in IPL 2013, the Royals booked themselves a well-deserved CLT20 berth.
Otago Volts – New Zealand
Captain: Brendon McCullum
Coach: Vaughn Johnson
CLT20 Best: Group Stage 2009
Otago Volts will be representing New Zealand at the 2013 season of CLT20. A complete domination and eventual title triumph in the domestic T20 tournament – HRV Cup 2012-13, earned them a chance to participate in once again in CLT20. However, they will have to make past the qualifiers to compete in the main tournament. The Volts made their maiden CLT20 appearance in 2009. Led by an experienced and successful T20 player – Brendon McCullum – who has been playing in the IPL since 2008 – the Kiwi outfit boasts past and present Blackcaps in Nathan McCullum, Ian Butler, Hamish Rutherford, James Neesham, Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom and Neil Wagner. With this line-up they will be hoping for a stronger performance this time around.
Trinidad & Tobago – West Indies
Captain: Denesh Ramdin
Coach: David Williams
CLT20 Best: 2009 Runner-up
T&T won fans all over the world by making it to the final of the inaugural CLT20, in 2009 by playing a very entertaining brand of cricket. T&T went undefeated in the tournament, but lost to the New South Wales Blues in the final. T&T have been the most successful team on the Caribbean T20 circuit, having won the local competition in 2008, 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. This will be their fourth attempt to secure the CLT20 title, after 2009, 2011 and 2012. This year, much to their delight, they will skip the Qualifiers and start out directly at the Group Stage.
Highveld Lions – South Africa
Captain: Alviro Petersen
Coach: Geoffrey Toyana
CLT20 Best: 2012 Runner-up
Highveld Lions will be participating in the CLT20 for the third time. They first participated in the tournament in 2010. The Lions also qualified for the group stage of CLT20 2012 as runners up of their domestic T20 competition. At CLT20 2010, they made quite an impact when they beat the much-fancied Mumbai Indians in the first game of the tournament. When the tournament returned to their country in 2012, the South African outfit went all the way to the final, before losing to the Sydney Sixers. They will hope to get lucky in their third attempt when they suit up for CLT20 2013. They will be high on confidence too, having won the South Africa’s domestic T20 competition.
Perth Scorchers – Australia
Captain: Simon Katich
Coach: Justin Langer
CLT20 Best: 2012 Group Stage
The team from Perth, Australia, made their Champions League Twenty20 debut in 2012 but couldn’t get past the League stage. However, bolstered by the experience of world-class campaigners like Simon Katich, Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh and Brad Hogg, the Scorchers put up a fine show in the 2012-13 KFC Big Bash League, and finished the runners-up for the second straight year, losing to Brisbane Heat in the final. Having booked themselves a place in the CLT20 yet again, the Perth Scorchers will look to utilize their experience and knowledge of the tournament in the previous year to make their mark this season.
Titans – South Africa
Captain: Jacques Rudolph
Coach: Rob Walter
CLT20 Best: 2012 Semi-finalist
The Titans qualified for their second consecutive Champions League T20 competition when they reached the finals of the Ram Slam T20 Challenge in the 2012/13 domestic season. Top performances from the experience campaigners like Roelof van der Merwe (208 runs and 9 wickets), Farhaan Behardien (208 runs) Henry Davids (209 runs) Albie Morkel (203 runs and 8 wickets) and Morne Morkel (9 wickets) ensured that the team came through when tight matches were contested. The Titans are a formidable unit and will now come to India to test their skills in CLT20 2013.
Brisbane Heat – Australia
Captain: James Hopes
Coach: Stuart Law
CLT20 Best: 2013 Debut
A KFC Big Bash League title in 2012-13 saw Brisbane Heats emerge as the new Champions ensuring a place at the CLT20 for the very first time. The team from Brisbane defeated the Perth Scorchers in the domestic T20 competition final. Brisbane is a vibrant, energetic, fun-loving city, as are the Heat players and their coach, and they are committed to taking the game on at all times. They were the surprise packages in season two of BBL.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – India
Captain: Shikhar Dhawan
Coach: Tom Moody
CLT20 Best: 2013 Debut
The newly formed Sunrisers Hyderabad won the hearts of fans all over India in their very first IPL season, in 2013. What endeared the Hyderabad-based team to viewers was the way they enjoyed their game and played without inhibitions. They were involved in some tight battles with stronger teams in IPL 2013 and came up trumps many a time. Backed by a strong and a well-known Support Team, the Sunrisers also possess the best fast bowler currently in the world – Dale Steyn. The fourth-ranked team in IPL 2013 will have to get through the Qualifiers to participate in CLT20 group stage.
Faisalabad Wolves – Pakistan
Captain: Misbah-ul-Haq
Coach: Naveed Anjum
CLT20 Best: 2013 Debut
The Faisalabad Wolves have become the second Pakistani team – after the Sialkot Stallions in 2012 – to have a go at CLT20. The team was formed in 2004 and won the Pakistan’s T20 domestic tournament in that year itself. Another title win in the 2012-13 season has put them into the Qualifying Stage of CLT20 2013. Given that the Sialkot Stallions failed to make the group stage of CLT20 last year, the Wolves will strive become the first Pakistani team to make it to the big tournament in 2013.
Kandurata Maroons – Sri Lanka
Captain: Lahiru Thirimanne
Coach: Chaminda Vaas
CLT20 Best: 2013 Debut
The Kandurata Maroons are all set to make their Champions League debut this season. Representing Sri Lanka, the Maroons made it to the Qualifiers by winning the inaugural Super 4’s Twenty20 Tournament in August 2013. Led by the young and dynamic Lahiru Thirimanne, the team also boasts of the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga and Nuwan Kulasekara in their ranks. They also have a world-class spinner in the wily Ajantha Mendis, who is always a threat in the sub-continent. Given the ideal mix of big names and young talent, the Maroons will be hoping to make a big impact in their maiden season.
