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Barely accept we accomplished with the Champions Trophy than the Champions League is aloft us. But the clash that starts in Bangalore, India, this afternoon is Twenty20, not 50 overs, and for clubs rather than countries.

It aswell carries a rather added adored accolade than the ambit of tailored white jackets that were accustomed to Australia afterwards their win on Monday. Whoever wins the final on October 23 gets to allotment a air-conditioned $2.5 actor (about £1.6 million).

Twelve teams from seven countries are aggressive in this countdown jamboree, an adjunct of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It was due to be captivated endure December, but was adjourned because of the agitator atrocities in Mumbai.

Three appear from India, the Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore, this year’s IPL finalists, and Delhi Daredevils, who led afterwards the accumulation date of that tournament.

They are abutting by the finalists from the calm tournaments in England (Sussex Sharks and Somerset Sabres), Australia and South Africa, additional the Twenty20 champions from Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies.

The aberration is that this is alleged a Champions League, but the nation that has conceivably been a lot of accomplished at Twenty20, Pakistan, is not represented. Pakistan won the World Twenty20 final at Lord’s this summer and were almost pipped in the final of the countdown World Twenty20 in 2007 by India. Yet such is the acrimony amid their Government and India’s that no adumbrative ancillary from Pakistan was invited.

This is not, in fact, the aboriginal clash of its type. Cast your apperception aback to September 2005 and you may anamnesis a Champions League-style clash demography abode in Leicester.

Snappily blue-blooded the International 20:20 Club Championship, it featured six teams: the Twenty20 champions of Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, the English finalists, Somerset and Leicestershire, and a PCA Masters XI that featured the brand of Martin McCague and Phil DeFreitas.