5 Reasons the Champions League T20 Is a Great Tournament

The Champions League T20 begins on Saturday, and while some purists might be pulling their noses up at the thought, it really is one of the best T20 competitions going.

T20 cricket continues to evolve and cannot be completely ignored, no matter how hard you try.

The Champions League T20 provides the perfect formula for what makes a great competition. We've picked out five things that makes this tournament an excellent initiative. Add your thoughts in the comments.

Quotes sourced first hand, unless otherwise stated.

Stats via ESPN Cricinfo, unless otherwise stated.

Financial Gain for Franchises

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This is a contentious point.

The Morung Express puts the total prize money available for the tournament at $6 million, with a total of $2.5 million for whoever wins the tournament.

The teams that fall out early, especially during the qualifiers, gain very little—if anything—from the tournament’s health. Therefore, it’s a bit of a catch-22 when it comes to financial gain.

However, the teams that do reach the knockout stages all gain a fair amount of cash.

Teams that lose their local players to international or "away" franchises (usually their IPL teams) also gain some money. ESPN Cricinfo quotes CLT20 governing council member Dean Kino as saying the away teams have to pay $150,000 compensation per player for those who do not opt for their local franchises.

While this is far from ideal, it is still an additional cash boost for those who have opted to go this route. 

A Chance for Players to Earn IPL Contracts

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Players who do not play international cricket regularly don’t often get the chance to earn an IPL contract.

Whatever you might think about the IPL, it’s a great way for players to boost their earning potential in what is a very short career span.

A good performance in the Champions League will put players on the map and give the IPL franchises a chance to see what they are all about. 

A Chance for Fans to Get to See Some New Talent

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Just like the IPL franchises get to spot some talent, so too do cricket fans.

Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, chances are you don’t know every single player form every single country. The Champions League T20 exposes fans to talent from all across the world.

Finding special players who do extraordinary things, especially those who don’t play international cricket, is great. It’s also often a renaissance for players who recently retired from international cricket.

South Africa's Quinton de Kock is one of those players who made a real impact in last year's competition. He hit an unbeaten 109 off 63 balls against the Otago Volts in the 2013 CL.

De Kock had played some international cricket by then, but these kinds of performances truly put players on the map for both fans and franchises. 

It’s over Quickly with Bursts of Entertainment

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Unlike the IPL, which can often feel like it drags on forever, the Champions League T20 is over quickly.

Since it’s not as overwhelming as the IPL, keeping track of the tournament is much easier as well. Games also tend to be more competitive.

The format of the tournament, which sees teams divided into groups, also means that almost all games hold some sort of entertainment.

With the best players in the world on show, there is hardly ever a dull moment.

It Helps Some Players Prepare for Their Domestic Season

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Teams from the Southern Hemisphere benefit from being helped to prepare for their domestic seasons.

Players often say that there is no practice like match practice, and while not all teams are heading into their T20 competition first up, getting some match time under their belt helps the teams prepare for their long summer ahead.

The conditions are quite different to what most of these teams play in, but getting into pressure situations and seeing who is in form and who is not is a great way for teams to get ahead.