The ECB are still awaiting an formal invitation to this year's Champions League © AFP Enlarge
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The ECB made an offer to the BCCI last December to host the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 tournament, but have still to receive a response from the Indian board while their participation in the event remains in doubt with the recently announced dates clashing with the end of the English domestic season.

Writing on his Twitter feed, Lalit Modi, the Champions League commissioner, claimed two English counties have now been invited to the event. "We have sent invites to two teams from [the] ECB yesterday for [the Champions League]. Waiting to hear from them," he said.

However, an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo they don't class it as an official offer. "There has been a telephone conversation, but no formal invite has been sent."

Late last year the English board told the BCCI they would be willing to host the tournament after the end of the season on September 22. Although the daylight is drawing in by that time of the year in England there would still be plenty of time to host Twenty20 matches, even into early October, especially if floodlights were used but the unpredictable weather would be something of a lottery.

However, the ECB have not heard anything since placing the offer on the table and last week Modi announced the tournament would run from September 10-26 at a venue still to be confirmed. USA are keen to get their foot in the Twenty20 door and Don Lockerbie, their CEO, had meetings with Modi in Dubai last week, while Abu Dhabi have also put in a bid to host the Champions League.

Those dates clash with England's one-day series against Pakistan, the final two rounds of County Championship matches, plus the semi-finals and final of the ECB40 competition and have created further tension between Modi and the ECB.

Modi has said it was the only window available for the event because India are due to play Australia in a one-day series from early October and he added that he hoped the ECB could make "minor adjustments" to their schedule. Giles Clarke, the ECB chairman, has made it clear that there won't be any alterations to the domestic season.

The ECB had already brought the end of the domestic tournaments forward by a week compared to last year in order to create a window for the Champions League, which they believed would start at the end of September. When the clash became clear, counties were quick to say that the domestic calender must take precedence and David Collier, the ECB chief executive, sent an email to the 18 first-class counties confirming players wouldn't be released. Also, if any weakened teams were fielded it would go against the playing regulations.

If no compromise can be reached counties will lose out on the chance to compete for the main prize of $1.6 million for winning the event plus a guaranteed appearance fee. The next stage in trying to find a solution will come in March when the chairmen of the boards involved meet in Dubai.

The ECB aren't on the governing council of the Champions League - which is made up of the BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) - after, instead, trying to join forces with Allen Stanford, but will need to try and gain the support of CA and CSA to engineer any changes in the dates.