5 Reasons to Love the CLT20 and 5 Reasons to Hate It

Cricket's Big Ears Trophy is back. Over the next few weeks, teams will battle it out for a mega-cash prize and a big cup. There are many reasons to love the Champions League T20, but there are equally as many reasons to dislike it.

Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Highveld Lions, Titans, Perth Scorchers and Brisbane Heat have all qualified for the main draw of the competition. In the meantime, Otago Volts, Faisalabad Wolves, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kandurata Maroons have to battle it out for the final two places in what should be a short, sharp and fun tournament. 

However, just because something is fun doesn't mean it's an all-round good egg. Here are five reasons to love the tournament and five reasons to dislike it. 

Love It: It's over in a Flash

Unlike some T20 tournaments, which drag on forever, the Champions League T20 is over in about three weeks. It's quick, to the point and there is no need for teams to play each other over and over again for no apparent reason. 

It's long enough to keep people interested and it's the ideal entertainment to switch on after a long day and unwind. It won't cause any cricket-watching fatigue like some of the other competitions often do.  

Love It: Money, Money, Money

Some will argue that this is a bad thing, especially for those teams who miss out. Yes, the Indian sides still dominate the competition in terms of number of entries, but there's an opportunity for all teams to earn a little bit of dosh for just a few weeks' work.

Every team earns $200,000 just for participating, while the semi-finalists will pocket $500,000 each. The runners-up walk away with $1.3 million and the winners bag a whopping $2.5 million. That's not bad for a little bit of hit-and-giggle cricket. One just hopes that money ends up in the right place.  

Love It: The Adverts and the Dancing

Who doesn't love dancing?

Just like in the Indian Premier League, the tournament itself and some of the teams have their own anthems.

These adverts are fun, sometimes silly, but almost always involve a lot of dancing. They're not nearly as bad as some of the adverts put out by brands and you're guaranteed to at least want to tap your feet while watching them.

Admittedly, it's a pretty shallow reason, but T20 cricket is built on being shallow.  

Love It: Name That Domestic Player

While most domestic T20 leagues are available to view around the world in one way or another, they don't get nearly as much attention as the T20 Champions League. There are some seriously gritty players plying their trade for domestic sides all across the globe, but their prowess will rarely be displayed on such a grand stage.

Discovering new up-and-coming talents is great, especially when they're up against some of the best players in the world.  

Love It: Writing a Bad Romance

In 2009, Trinidad and Tobago won the hearts of everyone as this unlikely contender went on to reach the final of the Champions League T20. They were unable to win it all, but it was a great story.

A year later, the Warriors from South Africa also ended in second place—an unlikely call at the start of the competition.

T20 has evolved a lot since its inception, but it does still lend itself to chance here and there. It provides the opportunity for the dark horses of a tournament or the side nobody thought would make it to achieve glory. It's quite heart warming.  

Hate It: The Gap It Forces in the International Calendar

Instead of South Africa starting their defence of that monstrosity of a trophy which they get for being the No. 1 Test side in the world, they have to wait. The CLt20 has its own gap in the international calender and it brings everything else to a halt.

It might only be three weeks, but at least two Test matches can be played in two weeks. South Africa are due to play Pakistan in the UAE in mid-October, and while that tour could have been three Tests if it started slightly earlier, there are just two matches for the South Africans to kick start their motors ahead of their summer.   

Hate It: The Inequality in Qualifying

When you think about it, the competition isn't really a Champions League, since there are teams who still have to wrestle their way through qualifying.

Instead of forcing teams for New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to fight it out for a spot in the main competition, wouldn't it be great to invite teams from smaller nations—even if it is the national team—to participate in qualifying and make it a truly global event?

The qualifying itself doesn't need its own calender and the competition can still be kept short. It just isn't really a reflection of champions at the moment.

Hate It: The Risk of Injury

This is a contentious point as players could very well get injured walking out of their homes every day, but playing cricket does add an extra risk.

With a busy season ahead for most teams, they want their best players to be fit and firing. With so many of those best names out playing a hit-and-giggle competition, it's risky business for some players that national teams rely on. 

Hate It: There's Not Enough Consistency to Create Loyalty

The concept of the CLt20 is nice. Organisers are perhaps trying to create something like the UEFA Champions League for cricket. The problem is that not enough people care about franchise cricket to force that serious dedication of supporting a team.

There is also far too much moving around of players who one season play for an IPL team and the next season play for their domestic franchise, depending on who qualifies. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but fans of cricket often follow a player rather than a team. With so much shifting about, there's not enough consistency to force the loyalty sticking with a franchise demands.  

Hate It: It's Just Not Test Cricket

Nothing beats Test cricket, even if it's bad Test cricket. South Africa, The Ashes and Zimbabwe's recent win over Pakistan all makes for great entertainment. The ebbs and flows and the nuances involved in the longer format of the game is just so much more enthralling than a coloured-clothing spectacle.

Of course, the two formats are different and getting on a high horse about it is somewhat silly. However, for the purists and those who crave Tests, it's just not cricket.