Champions League Twenty20

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The Airtel Champions League Twenty20 is an international Twenty20 cricket competition between teams from India, Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka New Zealand and West Indies. The competition was launched in 2008 as a response to the success of national Twenty20 domestic cricket leagues, most notably the Indian Premier League. The first edition was set to take place from late September to early October 2008 in India.

Its launch was a result of a long-term decline in the popularity of county championship and domestic limited-overs cricket. By reducing the number of overs per innings to twenty and by placing a three hour limit on matches, the format was designed to attract a younger crowd and to boost attendances. Twenty20 proved a success, with an international version, International 20:20 Club Championship, launched in 2005 and a World Twenty20 Competition held in October 2007.

The 2009 Champions League was contested by 12 teams. It started with a round robin format, with 4 pools of 3 teams. The top 2 teams from each pool advanced to a league stage, consisting of two pools of four teams. The top two from each league progressed to a knock-out competition of two rounds. A total 23 matches were played over a 16 day period.

The 2009 tournament was played in India from October 8-23, and was won by the New South Wales Blues, who defeated Trinidad and Tobago in the final. Teams that qualified for the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League are listed below.

Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, New South Wales Blues, Victorian Bushrangers, Cape Cobras, Diamond Eagles, Otago Volts, Sussex Sharks, Somerset Sabres, Trinidad & Tobago, Wayamba.