New Zealand excited by Champions League possibility

The participation of Central Districts, New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 champions, in the inaugural Champions League in India between September 29 and October 8 will, if it comes through, be a big boost to the domestic game in the country, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has said. The BCCI, the tournament hosts, confirmed that teams from Sri Lanka and West Indies will compete with Central Districts for one slot in the league, with England's participation highly unlikely.

"First up, it may well be off to India to participate in this competition, which is extraordinary," Justin Vaughan, the chief executive of New Zealand Cricket, told the Dominion Post. "It's still to be decided what money there'll be. I think there's a truckload of prize money, and traditionally that's gone to players.

"We need to accept the fact that our teams can compete on the global stage and it might seem extraordinary but that's what it's all about. And if this can become something that we regularly participate in, it obviously adds a significant edge to our domestic Twenty20 competition."

Central Districts have two high-profile New Zealand players, Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram, in their ranks, both of whom played in the IPL. Since Taylor's IPL franchise, the Bangalore Royal Challengers, failed to qualify for the Champions League, he would be expected to turn out for his state side. Since Chennai Super Kings have qualified, Oram would have to decide which team to represent, and Vaughan said the decision rests entirely with the player.

The details of the Champions League will be finalised in Mumbai later tonight at a meeting to be attended by officials from the BCCI, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia. A team from Pakistan has also been confirmed.