• This is the fifth time the tournament will take place

• It started in 1998 and has taken place every two years since that date

• At the end of this year's event, the ICC [Images] Champions Trophy will have raised US$65 million for developing cricket among the ICC's Associate & Affiliate Members

• The tournament was called the ICC Knock-out on the first two occasions it was contested, in 1998 and 2000

• The tournament's name was changed to ICC Champions Trophy for the 2002 event

• Previous venues for the tournament have been Bangladesh (1998); Kenya (2000); Sri Lanka [Images] (2002) and England [Images] (2004)

• Ten teams will take part in this year's tournament whereas previous events have involved nine teams (1998), 11 teams (2000) and 12 teams (2002 & 2004)

• The 1998 and 2000 tournaments were straight knock-outs

• The number of matches in each previous tournament were nine (1998); 10 (2000) and 15 (2002 and 2004)

• Previous winners are: South Africa (beat the West Indies [Images] in 1998); New Zealand [Images] (beat India in 2000); Sri Lanka and India (declared joint winners after the final was rained off); and the West Indies (beat England, in 2004)

ICC Champions Trophy 2006

• This year's tournament will feature the top 10 sides from the LG ICC ODI Championship table on 1 April 2006

ICC Champions Trophy 2006: Complete schedule

Those 10 sides, in order, are:

1. Australia

2. South Africa

3. India

4. Pakistan

5. New Zealand

6. England

7. Sri Lanka

8. The West Indies

9. Zimbabwe

10. Bangladesh

• Sides 7 - 10 will start the tournament by contesting a preliminary round with a round-robin format.  The top two sides from that preliminary round will go forward to the second stage

• That second stage sees the top six sides from the LG ICC ODI Championship table divided into two groups, joined by the two qualifiers from the preliminary round. Those groups are as follows:

Group A                                                          Group B

Australia                                                           South Africa

India                                                                 Pakistan

England                                                            New Zealand

Qualifier 2                                                        Qualifier 1

• Each side plays the other three teams in their group. At the end of those matches the top two sides go forward to the semi-finals

• The top side from Group A will play the second-placed side from Group B and the second-placed side from Group A plays the top side from Group B

• The winners of those two matches will contest the final

• The winners of this year's tournament will receive US$500,000

• The total number of matches in this year's tournament will be 21

• The ICC Champions Trophy 2006 will be staged at four venues: Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mohali and the Cricket Club of India, Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

• All matches will be day-night with Jaipur and CCI installing light towers; Ahmedabad and Mohali already have floodlights

• If a side from the preliminary stage wins the tournament they will have played eight matches; if a side that began the event in the second stage goes on to lift the ICC Champions Trophy they will have played five matches

Also read: India, England in Champions opener