BCCI planning to do away with Champions League T20: IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla

The IPL might get the second season in the same year its franchises have always wanted, though in a limited way, while the much troubled Champions League T20 is another step closer to being put to sleep. IPL chairman and senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official Rajeev Shukla confirmed the plans to PTI today: “Yes, we are planning to do away with the Champions League T20. In place of that, we are considering an alternative league. But at the moment all this is at the planning stage.” “Several ideas are coming and honourable secretary and myself are considering those ideas. We will sit together after the IPL gets over and try and plan out something. At the moment we don’t have anything in hand, but yes we are in the process of bouncing off ideas. When something concrete comes up, we will cetainly bring it to everyone’s notice,” he added. Earlier, The Indian Express reported that the BCCI is considering replacing the CLT20 with a smaller version of IPL to be played in the United Arab Emirates in September. [caption id=“attachment_2245720” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Chennai Super Kings might be the last winners of the CLT20. Sportzpics[/caption] “It [the CLT20] was not serving any purpose, people weren’t attracted to it,” an anonymous board official told the paper. “We are looking at all possibilities of a substitute tournament to replace CLT20 and initial idea is of having an IPL-2 so that Indian crowds could relate to it more.” The tournament would reportedly feature the top four teams from that season’s IPL playing against each other in a league phase with presumably the top two teams then making the final. The board is keen on the UAE because it successfully hosted the first half of the IPL in 2014 and the region is keen to host more live cricket. Since the region is also a magnet for Indian emigrants, filling stadiums should be easier as well. While the IPL is the exclusive property of the BCCI, the CLT20 is jointly owned by Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa as well. According to the Indian Express, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has let the other two boards know there will be no Champions League this year. However, the paper does not indicate whether the BCCI will compensate the other two boards for their share of the event. For years, IPL franchise owners and management have been vocal about their desire for either a long season or a second tournament so that they aren’t restricted to operating for just a couple of months a year. While The CLT20 already had space for the four IPL teams that make the playoffs, the proposed new tournament, and the franchises, should still benefit from a more tightly focused event between well known teams. In a way, it would be like a World Cup without the so-called minnows. The CLT20 has struggled since its first year, failing to attract sponsors, advertisers and viewers. While the quality of cricket was higher than that of the IPL, the limited number of IPL teams and the relative obscurity of players from other countries made it a misfit in India. The tournament was played in South Africa as well, but suffered from the same shortcomings. In 2007, ESPN-Star Sports (a joint-venture which broke up a couple of years ago) paid one billion dollars for the 10-year rights to the CLT20. Earlier stories suggested the BCCI wanted Star, which has retained the rights, to pay the board for agreeing to cancel the tournament, which has been losing money for the television network.