NSW are T20 champions of Champions!!!!!!

New South Wales 159 for 9 (Lee 48, Rampaul 3-20) beat Trinidad & Tobago 118 (Clark 3-21, Lee 2-10) by 41 runs. MoM, MoS: Brett Lee

Brett Lee starred with a stunning all-round performance as New South Wales beat Trinidad & Tobago to win the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, and with it a jackpot of US$ 2.5 million, in Hyderabad. The 41-run margin of victory, however, didn't mean it was a one-sided contest: T&T dominated initially, reducing NSW to 83 for 6, before Lee's fighting innings lifted his side to a competitive total. He then returned for a fiery spell with the new ball, jolting T&T's chase with two early wickets.

The match was won and lost in ten overs - the last five of the NSW innings and the first five of T&T's - and it was Lee who imposed himself on the game-breaking moments. The game had several subplots - the nervy collapse of both top orders, Ravi Rampaul's canny seam bowling, Steven Smith's sensible support act and the threat posed by Kieron Pollard - but the one that had the biggest impact was Lee's all-round contribution.

He walked in with NSW tottering and proceeded to slowly pull them out of the hole before shifting gears to propel them to a competitive score. It was almost the perfect counter punch. Lee's first priority was safety - he scored just 7 off 13 deliveries - but, knowing that meandering to a below-par total would be futile against an aggressive T&T team, he upped the ante with precise and powerful blows in the final overs.

Champions League T20

The 12 teams that have qualified for the inaugural $6 million prize money Airtel Champions League Twenty20 will receive a participation fee of $5,00,000 each.

Sussex Sharks and Somerset Sabres were the last two teams to qualify from England. The winner of the competition to be played from October 8 to 23 in India will receive $3 million.

Since Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings – finalists of the DLF-IPL season I in 2008 — had qualified for the Champions League T20 that was cancelled because of the terror attack in Mumbai, they will receive a compensation of around Rs. 22 crore each.

The CLT20 Governing Council has said that nine players have qualified for their home and away (IPL) team. The council has clarified that if a player decides to play for an ‘away’ team rather than his ‘home’ team’ — the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket — the ‘away’ team shall pay $2,00,000 compensation to the ‘home’ team’.

Herschelle Gibbs (Deccan Chargers) has decided to play for Cape Cobras and Ferveez Maharoof (Delhi Daredevils) for Wayamba.

Nathan Bracken (NSW Blues, RC Bangalore), Brendon McCullum (Otago Bolts, NSW Blues), Dirk Nannes (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), David Warner (NSW Blues, Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victorian Bushrangers, RC Bangalore), Andrew McDonald (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, Sussex Sharks) have yet to take a decision on which team they would be playing for.

Otago Bolts has selected McCullum in its squad though.

The Governing Council has also said that members of each team’s initial squad must have either played for or must have been contracted to play for his nominating team in the most recent qualifying Twenty20 competition played by that team. “Once a team names its initial squad, CLT20 will assess which players have been listed for two or more teams.

“Players who have been nominated by multiple teams will then be contacted by CLT20 to nominate their chosen team.

“Players will then be given 24 hours to determine which team they wish to represent,” said Dean Kino, CLT20 Governing Council Member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs.

A prickly situation for champions league T20....

Northamptonshire will face Sussex in one of the semi-finals of the ECB’s Twenty20 championship on August 15 and should it enter the final to be played at Birmingham on the same day, the English county will be disqualified from the Champions League Twenty20 be played in India from October 8 to 23.

“Should Northants qualify for the final, it will be not allowed to take part in the CLT20 in India. In that event only one team from England will be allowed to play in the CLT20,” said Lalit Modi, Chairman, CLT20 league.

Nicky Boje is the captain of the Northants team and other members of the team are South Africans Andrew Hall and J J van der Wath.

Michael Owen-Smith, Media Officer of the Cricket South Africa told The Hindu that he understands that the three have cut links with ICL, but Cricket South Africa has set a six month cool off period.

Meanwhile, according to Tony Irish, CEO of the South Africa Cricketers Association, Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp have applied for reinstatement with CSA and have been cleared subject to the cooling off period of 6 months which will happen by the start of the CSA season. “The Champions League also have to clear them. No ICL player including the cleared ones will be allowed to play in the Champions League this year for England qualifiers as it would prejudice teams from other countries who have not been able to use them.

“In other words the earliest Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp can qualify for the Champions League is in 2010,” said Irish.

Mr. Modi hinted that a fourth IPL team may be accommodated in the event of Northants’ disqualification, but things would become clear after August 15 once the results of the ECB Twenty20 semifinals are known.

“We would not like to dilute the CLT20 with a fourth Indian team,” said a BCCI official.

But the circumstances may create an opportunity for Chennai Super Kings — finalist in IPL season I and semifinalist in IPL season II — to claim for an entry into the CLT20 league.