Champions League T20 2014 Schedule: Format, Fixtures, History, Teams, Prediction
The 2014 Champions League Twenty20 commences this week, as the leading teams from the world's various domestic competitions descend on India for the sixth edition of the tournament.
The Kolkata Knights Riders, Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians will form the event's Indian Premier League contingent, all boasting strong squads expected to excel in familiar surrounds.
But they won't be without their challengers.
Both the Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes could cause an upset, while the Cape Cobras from South Africa arrive with a strong list of international stars.
With the action set to get underway this weekend, we've provided a complete overview of this year's tournament across the following slides.
Format
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Qualifying
A total of 12 teams take part in the Champions League Twenty20, qualifying for the event via their domestic T20 competition.
Of those 12, eight sides automatically qualify for the group stage of the tournament, while the other four are entered into a six-match qualifying group—the top two of which progress to form a final 10.
How the Qualifiers Are Graded
Earning a direct path into the group stage are the top three teams from India, both the top two from Australia and South Africa, as well as the champions from the Caribbean.
Placed into the qualifying group is the fourth-ranked side from India, in addition to the title holders from New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The groups for the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 are outlined below:
| Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Kings XI Punjab |
| Northern Districts | Chennai Super Kings | Hobart Hurricanes |
| Lahore Lions | Perth Scorchers | Cape Cobras |
| Southern Express | Dolphins | Barbados Tridents |
| Qualifier 1 | Qualifier 2 |
Group Stage
Once the entrants into the final 10 from the qualifying group are determined, they are placed into one of the two main groups.
Each team plays the other four sides in their group once, with the top two from each progressing to the semi-finals.
Finals Series
The highest-ranked side from each group then contests a semi-final with the second-placed team from the other group, with the winners of each match going on to compete in the final.
Fixtures
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| Sep. 13 | Qualifying | Northern Districts vs. Southern Express | Raipur |
| Sep. 13 | Qualifying | Mumbai Indians vs. Lahore Lions | Raipur |
| Sep. 14 | Qualifying | Northern Districts vs. Lahore Lions | Raipur |
| Sep. 14 | Qualifying | Mumbai Indians vs. Southern Express | Raipur |
| Sep. 16 | Qualifying | Southern Express vs. Lahore Lions | Raipur |
| Sep. 16 | Qualifying | Mumbai Indians vs. Northern Districts | Raipur |
| Sep. 17 | Group A | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Chennai Super Kings | Hyderabad |
| Sep. 18 | Group B | Kings XI Punjab vs. Hobart Hurricanes | Mohali |
| Sep. 19 | Group B | Cape Cobras vs. TBD | Raipur |
| Sep. 20 | Group A | Dolphins vs. Perth Scorchers | Mohali |
| Sep. 20 | Group B | Barbados Tridents vs. Kings XI Punjab | Mohali |
| Sep. 21 | Group B | Cape Cobras vs. Hobart Hurricanes | Hyderabad |
| Sep. 21 | Group A | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. TBD | Hyderabad |
| Sep. 22 | Group A | Dolphins vs. Chennai Super Kings | Bangalore |
| Sep. 23 | Group B | Hobart Hurricanes vs. TBD | Raipur |
| Sep. 24 | Group A | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Perth Scorchers | Hyderabad |
| Sep. 25 | Group A | Chennai Super Kings vs. TBD | Bangalore |
| Sep. 26 | Group B | Barbados Tridents vs. Cape Cobras | Mohali |
| Sep. 26 | Group B | Kings XI Punjab vs. TBD | Mohali |
| Sep. 27 | Group A | Dolphins vs. TBD | Bangalore |
| Sep. 27 | Group A | Perth Scorchers vs. Chennai Super Kings | Bangalore |
| Sep. 28 | Group B | Barbados Tridents vs. Hobart Hurricanes | Mohali |
| Sep. 28 | Group B | Kings XI Punjab vs. Cape Cobras | Mohali |
| Sep. 29 | Group A | Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Dolphins | Hyderabad |
| Sep. 30 | Group A | Perth Scorchers vs. TBD | Bangalore |
| Sep. 30 | Group B | Barbados Tridents vs. TBD | Bangalore |
| Oct. 2 | Semi-Final | 1st Semi-Final | Hyderabad |
| Oct. 2 | Semi-Final | 2nd Semi-Final | Hyderabad |
| Oct. 4 | Final | Final | Bangalore |
History
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The Champions League Twenty20 was born in 2008 following the remarkable success of the inaugural Indian Premier League season.
Wanting to capitalise on the appeal of franchise-based T20 cricket, the respective boards from India, Australia and South Africa quickly founded the CLT20, providing a global platform for domestic sides.
Since its inception, IPL teams have been triumphant in three of the five seasons, with the Mumbai Indians lifting the trophy twice, in 2011 and 2013.
| 2009 | New South Wales Blues |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings |
| 2011 | Mumbai Indians |
| 2012 | Sydney Sixers |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians |
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Teams
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India
Kolkata Knight Riders: Champions of the 2014 Indian Premier League, Kolkata are led by Gautam Gambhir and possess Twenty20 stars such as Robin Uthappa and Sunil Narine.
Kings XI Punjab: Runners-up in the IPL, the Kings XI are extremely explosive thanks to a batting lineup featuring Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey and Virender Sehwag.
Chennai Super Kings: Historically the IPL's strongest franchise, Chennai's Indian core of MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin has always been their strength.
Mumbai Indians: Mumbai completed a remarkable turnaround to grab fourth place in this year's IPL, overcoming a disastrous start to storm home late. Lasith Malinga is the key with the ball, while the hard hitting from Kieron Pollard and Corey Anderson in the middle order can be devastating.
Australia
Perth Scorchers: Reigning champions in Australia's Big Bash League, the Scorchers rode an unlikely hero in Craig Simmons to the 2014 title.
Hobart Hurricanes: The surprise packets of the Big Bash, Hobart upset the Melbourne Stars on their way to this year's final, capitalising on strong form by Ben Dunk and captain Tim Paine.
South Africa
Dolphins: Victors in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge, the Dolphins will be without star batsman David Miller, who will instead lineup for Kings XI Punjab.
Cape Cobras: Led by international stars in Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Robin Peterson and Vernon Philander, Cape Cobras should be the stronger of the South African teams despite finishing as runners-up in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge.
Caribbean
Barbados Tridents: Champions of the Caribbean Premier League, Barbados will be without the team's core of Pollard, Shoaib Malik and Dwayne Smith.
New Zealand
Northern Districts: Easily New Zealand's strongest side, the Northern Districts boast a bowling attack containing Trent Boult and Tim Southee, while Kane Williamson and Scott Styris glue together the batting lineup.
Pakistan
Lahore Lions: Qualifying by conquering Pakistan's Faysal Bank T20 Cup, Lahore arrive at the competition with their hopes pinned to the international trio of Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez and Umar Akmal.
Sri Lanka
Southern Express: Champions of the short Super 4's Twenty20 Tournament, the Southern Express will be without the team's star performer, Malinga.
Prediction
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Qualifying Group
The Mumbai Indians are comfortably the strongest side in the qualifying group and should progress into the final 10 alongside Northern Districts or the Lahore Lions.
Group A
A lopsided group stage will see Group A pit three domestic champions as well as the Chennai Super Kings against one another. In the subcontinental conditions, Chennai and the Kolkata Knight Riders should thrive against their Australian and South African rivals, with the major threat likely to come from the Mumbai Indians—assuming they progress from the qualifying group.
Group B
In the weaker of the two groups, Kings XI Punjab should march into the semi-finals behind their spectacular batting lineup, while the Hobart Hurricanes and Cape Cobras will fight for the other semi-final position, particularly with the Barbados Tridents stripped of their core.
Finals
The powerful Chennai Super Kings underachieved in this year's IPL and should edge out the second-placed side from Group B on their way to the final.
Once there, they should face the Kolkata Knight Riders, who possess a little more consistency and Twenty20 know-how than Kings XI Punjab.
Given that two IPL champions have gone on to claim the Champions League title in the same year, Kolkata might just do the double.
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