The Twenty20 Champions League, scheduled to be held in October this year, is facing trouble and could be postponed.

Four member boards of the International Cricket Council (ICC) — BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA), England Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) — had signed an agreement to jointly conduct the tournament, but have failed to reach a common understanding within the stipulated deadline.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi insisted that the Champions League, proposed by the IPL, would not be scrapped, adding that the dates for the tournament would be announced soon. However, he refused to comment on whether the tournament will be held this year. “We will decide on the Champions League after the Champions Trophy (in September),” he said.

Starting trouble

Even sources in the ECB said that plans were falling in place to host the event. “At present the ECB are in discussions with regards to a proposed Champions League. These negotiations are proceeding positively and we are at an advanced stage,” an official said. With only two months to go for the rare 14-day gap in ICC’s packed international calendar, there is too little time and too much discontent for the tournament to be conducted smoothly.

Cricket Australia had been given the task of laying down the format and laws for the tournament, while the ECB and the BCCI were busy sorting out a few issues under the observation of the ICC. The Indian Express has learnt that there were three major issues that had been obstructing the tournament.

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