Organizers for the 2011 Airtel Champions League T20 have exposed plans for a six-team qualifying event ahead of the main tournament later this year. Teams from India, West Indies, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England will be invited to add in the round-robin event, from which three will go on to fight in the 10-team ACLT20.
The reorganize means more teams than ever before will be given the chance to compete for T20's biggest prize of 2.5million US dollars. Fourth-placed Indian Premier League side KKR, West Indian champions Trinidad and Tobago and New Zealand's Auckland Aces have already been confirmed as participants in the succeed tournament.
They will be joined by the yet-to-be-decided Sri Lankan Premier League champions and two teams from England's Friends Life t20 rivalry. The qualifying rounds will be held at Hyderabad from September 19-21. The top three teams will then go on to join the main contest, held in Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata from September 23 to October 9.
The seven teams to have qualified for the CLT20 proper include reigning Big Bash champ South Australia and runners-up New South Wales Blues. The top three in this year's IPL - Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians - will also participate, along with the Warriors and the Cape Cobras from South Africa.
Competing Teams
Qualifier
- Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL)
- Trinidad and Tobago (West Indies)
- Auckland Aces (New Zealand)
- Sri Lanka (Team tbc)
- England 1 (Team tbc)
- England 2 (Team tbc)
2011 Airtel Champions League Twenty20
- South Australian Redbacks (Australia)
- NSW Blues (Australia)
- Warriors (South Africa)
- Cape Cobras (South Africa)
- Chennai Super Kings (India)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore
- Mumbai Indians (India)
- 3 x Qualifier (Teams tbc)