The winners and runners-up in England's Twenty20 competition will join their equivalents from Australia, India and South Africa in a lucrative new tournament later this year.
A statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) here Saturday said the inaugural Champions League would involve eight teams playing 15 matches in a 10-day period in late September and early October in either the Middle East or India.
The ECB statement said the tournament would be worth 5 million dollars to the winner, adding there would be "significant sums for the teams finishing second, third and fourth". Talks were held last week involving ECB chairman Giles Clarke and chief executive David Collier, Cricket Australia's chairman Creagh O'Connor and chief executive James Sutherland.
The plans were finalised Friday following discussions between Clarke, Board of Control for Cricket in India representative Lalit Modi and Cricket South Africa president Norman Arendse.
The winners and runners-up in the final of England's Twenty20 event at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground on July 20 will join Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings from India, South Africa's Titans and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins and Western Australia and Victoria from Australia in the Champions League.
The showpiece World Cup every four years is played in the 50-over format. But the last edition in the Caribbean in 2007 was widely derided for its lack of excitement compared to the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa later in the year.
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