Champions League draw released

KFC T20 Big Bash League premiers Perth Scorchers have drawn IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders in a challenging Group A of the Champions League Twenty20 2014.

The Scorchers, who will be without recently-retired former skipper Simon Katich, among others, will also take on past Champions League winners Chennai Super Kings when the competition gets underway from September 13 in India.

Kolkata, winners of the IPL in 2014 and 2012, will take on Chennai Super Kings, winners of the IPL in 2011 and IPL and CLT20 champions in 2010, in the inaugural Group match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad, on September 17.

BBL|03 runners-up Hobart Hurricanes will likely sight a familiar face in the opposition when they take on Kings XI Punjab, with Australia T20 captain George Bailey expected to lead the losing finalists from IPL7.

The tournament will follow a format similar to the three previous editions, with a Group Stage preceded by a Qualifier.

A total of 29 matches will be played in the competition, with the group stage featuring 10 teams. Each side will play the other four in its group once, with the top two sides from each group going through to the semi-finals.

“The Group stage matches will be played at Mohali, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Raipur,” said Sanjay Patel, Honorary Secretary of the BCCI.

“The Qualifier will be played at Raipur. The CLT20 Governing Council has confirmed the teams that will compete for a total prize money of US$6million.”

The CLT20 2014 Qualifier, to be played from 13 September 2014 to 16 September 2014, will feature four teams – Mumbai Indians (fourth-ranked team in IPL 2014), Northern Knights (winners of New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition), Southern Express (winners of Sri Lanka’s domestic T20 tournament) and Lahore Lions (Pakistan’s domestic T20 competition champions).

In the Qualifier, all teams will play each other once, with the top two advancing to the Group Stage.

The top team from Group A will play the second-ranked team from Group B, and vice versa, in the semi-finals, both of which will be played at Hyderabad on 2 October 2014. Bengaluru will host the final on 4 October 2014.

The complete CLT20 2014 match schedule is available on http://www.clt20.com/schedule.

Group A
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dolphins
Perth Scorchers
Chennai Super Kings
A team from the Qualifier

Group B
Kings XI Punjab
Cape Cobras
Hobart Hurricanes
Champion side from the West Indies
A team from the Qualifier

Qualifier
Q1 – Lahore Lions
Q2 – Mumbai Indians
Q3 – Northern Knights
Q4 – Southern Express

Q1/Q3 will enter Group A if either of them makes it to the Group Stage.
Q2/Q4 will enter Group B if either of them makes it to the Group Stage.

If Q1 and Q3 both make it to the Group Stage, then Q1 will enter Group A and Q3 will enter Group B. If Q2 and Q4 both make it to the Group Stage, then Q2 will enter Group B and Q4 will enter Group A.

Past Winners
2009 - NSW Blues (Australia)
2010 - Chennai Super Kings (India)
2011 - Mumbai Indians (India)
2012 - Sydney Sixers (Australia)
2013 – Mumbai Indians (India)