Team Details with Squad
RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore, like Deccan Chargers, had ended up at the bottom of the table in the inaugural edition of DLF IPL. Both met in the final of IPL 2009 in South Africa. Anil Kumble led RCB with great heart, but was unable to win the title. Kumble’s most impressive virtues as a cricketer - grit and determination - came to the fore in South Africa. And he will be hoping to continue the good work in this year’s Airtel Champions League Twenty20 tournament. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost four of their first five matches in IPL 2009, but made a startling comeback to make it to the semi-finals.
- Rajesh Bishnoi
- Vinay Kumar
- RE van der Merwe
- Robin Uthappa
- Ross Taylor
- Dale Steyn
- Manish Pandey
- Anil Kumble (C)
- Praveen Kumar
- B Kumar
- Balachandra Akhil
- Mark Boucher
- Rahul Dravid
- Jacques Kallis
- Virat Kohli
DC
The reigning title-holders of the second edition of the IPL, Deccan Chargers will start as one of the favourites in the inaugural season of Airtel Champions League T20. Plagued by poor performances and controversies, the team was placed at the bottom of the table at the end of IPL’s first season. But they scripted an incredible turnaround in the second edition in South Africa, claiming the top award. Much credit for Deccan Chargers’ rags to riches story goes to their captain Adam Gilchrist who was instrumental in Australia's three ICC World Cup wins. His compatriot Darren Lehmann joined the team as coach for the IPL’s second edition.
- Azhar Bilakhia
- Harmeet Singh
- Venugopal Rao
- Chaminda Vaas
- Andrew Symonds
- T Suman
- Scott Styris
- RP Singh
- Shoaib Ahmed
- Fidel Edwards
- Adam Gilchrist (C)
- Ryan Harris
- VVS Laxman
- Pragyan Ojha
- Rohit Sharma
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils have a number of genuine match-winners in their squad. They boast of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order while wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik beefs up the middle-order. Tillakaratne Dilshan has been a revelation in this format. The England batsmen, Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah, are two of the canniest, most versatile limited overs batsmen to come out of county cricket in the past decade. England T20 skipper Collingwood and AB de Villiers of South Africa lift up the fielding while bowlers Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra, India's latest leg-spin find, keep the opposition in check.
- Rajat Bhatia
- Daniel Vettori
- Owais Shah
- V Sehwag
- Pradeep Sangwan
- Aavishkar Salvi
- Ashish Nehra
- Dirk Nannes
- Amit Mishra
- Manoj Tiwary
- Paul Collingwood
- T Dilshan
- G Gambhir (C)
- Dinesh Karthik
- Mithun Manhas
Victorian Bushrangers
Judged purely on form, Victorian Bushrangers are one of the top contenders to win the CLT20 2009. The Bushrangers are an Australian team based in Melbourne and represent the state of Victoria. They were winners of the first three editions of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash that took place in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08. Captain Cameron White has the reputation of being a big hitter in the T20 domestic circuit.The Bushrangers' key batsmen are Brad Hodge and David Hussey, while Peter Siddle and Bryce McGain share bowling honours. It remains to be seen how the side, which has been dominant in the domestic T20 circuit over the past four seasons, will fare against the world’s best clubs in CLT20 2009.
- Aiden Blizzard
- Peter Siddle
- C White (C)
- Matthew Wade
- Robert Quiney
- Clinton McKay
- Bryce McGain
- Andrew McDonald
- David Hussey
- Aaron Finch
- Shane Harwood
- John Hastings
- Brad Hodge
- Jon Holland
- James Pattinson
New South Wales
The New South Wales cricket team, or the Speed Blitz Blues, is one of the most high profile teams in the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 contest consisting of eight centrally contracted players by Cricket Australia. Based in Sydney, the team competes in the first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield, the Ford Ranger Cup (limited-overs cricket) and the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. It is widely believed that if the New South Wales team is strong, cricket in Australia is blooming. Australia’s icons and international cricketing royalty, Sir Donald Bradman, Richie Benaud, Steve Waugh and Glenn McGrath, have played first-class cricket for New South Wales. The Speed Blitz Blues have won the first-class competition 44 times and the one-day domestic cup nine times.
- Aaron Bird
- David Warner
- Dominic Thornely
- Steven Smith
- Daniel Smith
- Ben Rohrer
- Steve O'Keefe
- Brett Lee
- Simon Katich (C)
- Doug Bollinger
- Simon Keen
- Stuart Clark
- Nathan Hauritz
- Moises Henriques
- Phillip Hughes
Cape Cobras
Standard Bank Pro20 champions of the current season, Cape Cobras, are one of the two teams representing South Africa in Airtel Champions League Twenty20. The team is known to have produced a number of quality cricketers for the national side. Players like Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy make up the Cobras’ ranks. Having multi-skilled, flamboyant players in the line-up is a bonus but the basic premise of sound batting, bowling and fielding ability is vital - the Cobras are fortunate on that front. The current side is led by Graeme Smith and has displayed resolve and determination to better their record. The side also boasts the services of Charl Langeveldt who has impressed with his wicket-taking ability over the years.
- Derek Brand
- Monde Zondeki
- A Puttick (C)
- Vernon Philander
- Francois Plaatjies
- Justin Ontong
- Richard Levi
- Charl Langeveldt
- Rory Kleinveldt
- Ryan Canning
- Henry Davids
- Jean-Paul Duminy
- S Engelbrecht
- Herschelle Gibbs
- Claude Henderson
Diamond Eagles
Diamond Eagles have been the most successful cricket team in South Africa since the inception of the franchise system for all domestic competitions. It is the other team apart from Cape Cobras to represent South Africa in the Champions League. Apart from the Titans, they're the only South African league to have won all three domestic trophies in the course of the past four seasons and have had five trophy successes altogether. The Eagles have a number of home-grown players in their squad. Although they do not possess a Cricket SA contracted player at present, that has not always been the case. Boeta Dippenaar plays for the Eagles.
- Ryan Bailey
- Morne van Wyk
- S van Schalkwyk
- Thandi Tshabalala
- Rilee Rossouw
- Victor Mpitsang
- Ryan McLaren
- Adrian McLaren
- Alan Kruger
- Jandre Coetzee
- C de Villiers
- B Dippenaar (C)
- Dillon du Preez
- Dean Elgar
- Reeza Hendricks
Otago Volt
Otago Volts are a New Zealand side that have been based at the University Oval for the last five seasons before which they played at Carisbrook. Glenn Turner, Mark Richardson and Ken Rutherford, at various times in the last thirty years, have played their part for Otago. But the big names did not yield many trophies. Otago adopted the name Volts, but still no change of luck. Now, boasting the services of the most exciting wicket-keeper batsman today - Brendon McCullum - the Volts are finally turning the corner; or are hoping to. They won their first major trophy in March, 2008, after nearly two decades, but have a bigger task at hand. England's six-hitting all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas coupled with McCullum is the energy mix that the Volts are hoping will help them leap longer.
- Nick Beard
- Neil Wagner
- Greg Todd
- HD Rutherford
- Aaron Redmond
- AD Mascarenhas
- W McSkimming
- James McMillan
- Nathan McCullum
- Neil Broom
- Ian Butler
- C Cumming (C)
- Derek de Boorder
- Mathew Harvie
- BB McCullum
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago is the only domestic team representing the Caribbean in the Champions League. The team’s claim to fame is local boy, and one of the finest batsmen of all time, Brian Charles Lara. The current stars of the team are the talented Bravo brothers, Darren and Dwayne, who have been making waves with their performances. Since his debut, Darren Bravo has appeared in 15 first-class matches and has tallied 701 runs. The elder brother - Dwayne - has even been offered a Victorian Bushrangers berth thanks to his outstanding all-round performance for Mumbai Indians in IPL Season 2 and ICC World Twenty20 in 2009. The team’s captain is Daren Ganga who made his debut for the club when legendary West Indies cricketers Ian Bishop and Brian Lara were part of it.
- Samuel Badree
- Navin Stewart
- Lendl Simmons
- Ravi Rampaul
- Denesh Ramdin
- Kieron Pollard
- William Perkins
- Sunil Narine
- Dave Mohammed
- Adrian Barath
- Dwayne Bravo
- Darren Bravo
- Rayad Emrit
- Daren Ganga (C)
- Sherwin Ganga
Wayamba Elevens
Sri Lanka’s first class cricket team - Wayamba - represents North Western Province and draws cricketers from the Sri Lanka Premier trophy. They won the Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament, 2009, defeating Basnahira South to qualify for the T20 extravaganza - the Champions League. Former Sri Lanka captain, Mahela Jayawardene, is their guiding light. Ajantha Mendis contributes tremendously and in Jehan Mubarak, they have a captain who has enough experience to help them sail them through. The team also includes a future star for Sri Lanka - Mahela Udawatte. CLT20 is the perfect platform to unleash his batting talent.
- Sameera de Zoysa
- I Amerasinghe
- C Welegedara
- Mahela Udawatte
- Isuru Udana
- Thissara Perera
- J Mubarak (C)
- Ajantha Mendis
- Farveez Maharoof
- Michael Vandort
- Rangana Herath
- M Jayawardene
- S Karunanayake
- J Kulatunga
- K Lokuarachchi
Somerset County Cricket Club
Continuing in their glorious tradition, Somerset County Cricket Club have managed to break new ground over the last few years. Long after the likes of Sir Viv Richards, Sir Ian Botham and Joel Garner have finished their careers, the club is still home to some big successes. The formidable opening pair of skipper Justin Langer and Marcus Trescothick has scripted many a win for the side. Langer & Co. failed to repeat their 2005 success in the Twenty20 Cup this year, but now comes the big opportunity in the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20 competition.
- Omari Banks
- Charl Willoughby
- Max Waller
- ME Trescothick
- Peter Trego
- Alfonso Thomas
- Arul Suppiah
- Ben Phillips
- Justin Langer (C)
- PS Jones
- Zander de Bruyn
- Jos Buttler
- Wes Durston
- James Hildreth
- Craig Kieswetter
Sussex Sharks
The Sussex County Cricket Club is probably the one with the strongest connection with the sub-continent. From the regal Ranjitsinghji and Nawab of Pataudi to Pakistan's most charismatic captain, Imran Khan, the county boasts of a rich lineage.
After successes in the longer version of the game, the Sussex side finally toppled the much fancied Somerset County Cricket Club in the domestic Twenty20 Cup. With all-rounders Dwayne Smith and Luke Wright filling the ranks, Sussex Sharks might just turn out to be the big fish of CLT20.