| MUMBAI:
The Champions League Twenty20 Governing Council today announced the match schedule
for the tournament. The
league will be played in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru from 8-23 October,
2009. The
game's inaugural edition will see 12 domestic teams compete wherein each participating
team has been divided into four groups. Royal
Challengers Bangalore will take on Cape Cobras in the first tourney encounter
at Bengaluru. The top two teams from each group will qualify for a four team league
pool. The top two teams from each league pool will then qualify for the two semi-finals,
to be played on 21 October in Delhi and 22 October in Hyderabad. The grand final
match will be held in Hyderabad on 23 October.
The initial group matches for the tournament will be played from 8 October to
14 October across the three venues. After
the teams play their respective group opponents in the first round, two teams
from each group will qualify for the second league phase. The eight teams progressing
to the league phase will then be clubbed into two new groups and compete in another
consolidated round robin phase, with the top four teams from this phase progressing
to the semi-finals. Champions
League Twenty20 chairman Lalit Modi said, "The Champions League Twenty20
is set to provide domestic cricketers with the ultimate talent showcase, one which
I am certain will inspire and motivate future generations of club, state and county
cricketers, while accelerating the development of the game globally and the careers
of those involved." The
2009 Champions League Twenty20 will offer teams $6 million as prize money which
will be shared between the teams and their players. | 
