BCCI to meet CA, CSA over CLT20 future

The fate of the Champions League Twenty20 will be decided in a meeting that will take place on the sidelines of the IPL final in Kolkata on May 24. The heads of Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa, the two other founding partners of the tournament, will also attend the meeting, according to BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur.

"Yes, we have invited the CEO and chairman of Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa for the IPL final in Kolkata and, on the sidelines of this match, we will discuss the future of Champions League with them," Thakur said.

Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland and chairman Wally Edwards, along with CSA president Chris Nenzani and chief executive officer Haroon Lorgat are expected to attend the meeting, which will also be attended by BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya and Thakur. Sundar Raman, who has been the chief operating officer for both IPL and CLT20, will also be at the meeting.

Rajeev Shukla, the IPL chairman, had admitted that the future of the Champions League was in doubt, and said that alternative options including conducting a mini-IPL were being discussed.  "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," Shukla told PTI on Friday.

In April, ESPNcricinfo had reported that the BCCI and the CLT20 broadcaster, Star Sports, was not keen on continuing with a tournament that has failed to garner attention - from fans as well as advertisers - in its six editions.

There have been six editions of the CLT20 so far pitting the top teams of various countries against each other. India, Australia and South Africa are the primary stakeholders of the tournament, while teams from West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have been regular competitors.

The major fallout for the teams would be the loss of monetary benefits. CLT20 appearances are included in IPL teams' sponsorship deals and the non-Indian teams receive $200,000.