The Champions League: Money for nothing?
The importance of Champions League qualification for franchises in the countries involved has been clear since the prize money was announced, with a pot of $6 million available each year and the financial effects of the competition are making
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
The importance of Champions League qualification for franchises in the countries involved has been clear since the prize money was announced, with a pot of $6 million available each year and the financial effects of the competition are making themselves known and for some countries they are significant writes Tristan Holme on cricket365. But if we were to judge a tournament by on-field vs off-field impact, the Champions League might well be the most distorted that cricket has known.
Organisers expect it to take time to truly get off the ground so perhaps we shouldn't be too swift to judge, but if people don't tune in this year then it would appear that ESPN Star Sports, in putting up $1 billion for 10 years of TV rights, have paid over the odds.
Nevertheless it's money that cricket needs, so the three founding members need the tournament to work. There were some memorable moments last year, but aside from Trinidad and Tobago warming the hearts and a few youngsters such as Rilee Rossouw showing their potential there was a distinct lack of overall value. It's difficult to see that changing over the next few weeks, and if it doesn't then a rethink is in order. Twenty20 for the sake of it can only go on for so long before the bubble bursts.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo