The ICC is once again exploring the idea of bringing together the world's best T20 franchise teams in a single global tournament, effectively reviving the Champions League T20 (CLT20), which was discontinued in 2014. The proposed event, tentatively called the World Club T20 Championship, is one of several major reforms being discussed as cricket tries to adapt to the rapid growth of franchise leagues across the world.
Inspired by football's FIFA Club World Cup, the tournament would feature champion franchises from the biggest T20 competitions around the globe. The aim is to crown the world's best T20 club while also creating a marquee event that can match the commercial success of football's club competitions.
Why bring back a global club tournament?
When the Champions League T20 was launched in 2009, it was expected to become one of cricket's biggest events. It featured champions from leagues like the IPL, Australia's Big Bash League, and South Africa's domestic T20 competition.
However, the tournament struggled to attract television audiences outside India.
Scheduling problems, limited fan interest in overseas domestic teams, and the dominance of IPL franchises eventually led to its cancellation after the 2014 edition. Twelve years later, the landscape has changed dramatically. Franchise cricket has exploded with leagues such as the SA20, ILT20, Major League Cricket, The Hundred, and others attracting international stars and massive investments. The ICC believes the time may finally be right to revive the concept on a much larger scale.
How could the tournament work?
While the ICC has not announced an official format, the proposal is expected to include champion teams from the leading franchise competitions around the world.
Potential participants could come from:
Indian Premier League (IPL)
SA20
ILT20
Major League Cricket (MLC)
Big Bash League (BBL)
Pakistan Super League (PSL)
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
Much like football's Club World Cup, every franchise would represent its domestic league rather than its country.
The biggest challenge, however, is not deciding which teams qualify. It is deciding which teams are actually allowed to play.
The ownership problem cricket has never faced before
Unlike football, franchise cricket is increasingly controlled by multi-team ownership groups.
Take Mumbai Indians, for example.
Reliance's Mumbai Indians brand now owns or operates franchises across multiple leagues:
Mumbai Indians (IPL)
MI Cape Town (SA20)
MI Emirates (ILT20)
MI New York (Major League Cricket)
A stake in Oval Invincibles in The Hundred
Similarly, Kolkata Knight Riders have expanded into SA20, MLC, CPL, and ILT20, while Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, Lucknow Super Giants, and Gujarat Titans' ownership groups also have teams in overseas leagues.
This creates a unique situation.
Imagine:
Mumbai Indians win the IPL.
MI Cape Town wins the SA20.
MI Emirates win the ILT20.
MI New York wins Major League Cricket.
Should all four teams qualify for the World Club Championship?
Technically they are different franchises playing in different competitions. But in reality, they belong to the same ownership group and often share similar coaching staff, management structures, scouting networks, and even player development systems.
Instead of a global tournament between different clubs, fans could end up watching multiple versions of the same franchise.
Players create another major headache
Ownership is only half the problem.
Many overseas players represent different franchises owned by different groups across various leagues.
For example, a player could represent the following:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL
London Spirit in The Hundred
MI Emirates in the ILT20
Texas Super Kings in MLC
If multiple teams qualify, which club does that player represent?
Football doesn't face this issue because players remain contracted to one club throughout the season. Franchise cricket operates on short-term league contracts, making player availability far more complicated.
The ICC may need to introduce eligibility rules, possibly requiring players to represent the franchise from the league in which they were most recently contracted or creating a special registration window before the tournament. As of now, no solution has been announced.
Finding space may be even harder
Even if ownership and player eligibility are resolved, fitting another global event into cricket's already packed calendar will be difficult.
The ICC is simultaneously considering several major calendar reforms, including fixed windows for different formats, more multi-team international tournaments, and changes to bilateral cricket. The World Club T20 Championship would have to find a dedicated slot without clashing with existing franchise leagues or international commitments.
The World Club T20 Championship has the potential to become one of cricket's biggest annual events. Fans have long wanted to know how an IPL champion would fare against the best teams from Australia, England, Pakistan, or South Africa.
But unlike football, cricket's franchise ecosystem is deeply interconnected.
Multi-team ownership models and players representing different franchises across leagues create challenges that never existed during the original CLT20 era.
If the ICC wants to successfully revive the competition, it will need clear rules on franchise ownership, player eligibility, and scheduling before the first ball is bowled.
The idea of crowning a true world champion among T20 franchises is exciting. Turning that idea into a fair and competitive tournament may prove to be the ICC's toughest challenge yet.
