New Zealand's Twenty20 champions Otago Volts enter the tournament as a strong contender for the title. Brendon McCullum is a proven match-winner, while all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas is capable of making a difference with both bat and ball.
Skipper Brendon McCullum led from the front, smashing an unbeaten 83, as Otago Volts from New Zealand beat Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves by eight wickets in a qualifying round match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Mohali on Tuesday.
A fine all-round show by Ryan ten Doeschate powered the Kiwi side to a convincing six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka's Kandurata Maroons.
All-rounder Jimmy Neesham did the star turn with the bat and ball as Otago Volts beat Highveld Lions in the one-over eliminator in a thrilling Group A match to place themselves in a strong position for a semi-final berth in the Champions League Twenty20 in Jaipur on Sunday.
Images from the Champions League T20 qualifying match between Otago Volts and Kandurata Maroons in Mohali, on Wednesday.
The Mumbai outfit faces yet another formidable challenge in the form of Otago Volts -- in-form qualifiers from New Zealand in their second game of the Champions League Twenty20 in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Local favourites Royal Challengers Bangalore and New Zealand's Otago Volts, smarting from their defeats at the hands of Cape Cobras in their tournament openers, would be desperate to put their campaigns back on track when they face-off in the Group C match of the Champions League Twenty20 in Bangalore, on Monday. It is a virtual knockout match for both Anil Kumble-led Royal Challengers and Craig Cumming's Otago Volts as the winners will progress to the League Stage.
Images from the Champions League T20 match between Otago Volts and Perth Scorchers in Jaipur on Wednesday.
Images from the Champions League T20 match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Otago Volts in Mohali, on Friday.
Images from the Champions League T20 match between Highveld Lions and Otago Volts in Jaipur, on Sunday.
Images from the CLT20 match between Faisalabad Wolves and Otago Volts in Mohali on Tuesday.
Skipper Andrew Puttick (104) hit the first century of the inaugural Champions League as Cape Cobras handed a 54-run mauling to Otago Volts to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the event here on Saturday.
Pacer Rahul Shukla rocked the rival top-order with three wickets in an over before veteran Brad Hodge hit a blistering fifty as Rajasthan Royals snapped Otago Volts's 15-match winning streak with a four-wicket win in the Champion League Twenty20 Group A match, in Jaipur.
Jacques Kallis's superb all-round show ensured Royal Challengers a berth in the next round of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, after a convincing 80-run victory over Otago Volts, in Bangalore, on Monday.
The McCullum brothers -- Nathan and Brendon -- came up with match-winning performances as Otago Volts crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad by five wickets in the inconsequential sixth and final qualifying match of the Champions League T20, in Mohali, on Friday.
Opener Neil Broom produced a hurricane 117-run knock off just 56 balls as Otago Volts recorded a comprehensive 62-run win over Perth Scorchers in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The Champions League Twenty20 enters its fourth season with the qualifying matches commencing in Mohali on Tuesday.
The complete fixtures of Champions League T20, which starts in Jaipur on September 21.
Images from the Champions League T20 match between Mumbai Indians and Perth Scorchers in Delhi, on Wednesday.
Mumbai Indians will have to engage in a must win situation to seal the semi-final berth for the Champions League Twenty20.
IPL champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are the teams to beat, especially in home conditions, but they can expect a stiff challenge from the likes of South Africa's T20 champions Highveld Lions and Australia's T20 winners Brisbane Heat.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has appointed Mike Hesson as head coach of their cricket team until the end of the 2015 World Cup, the governing body said on Friday.
The complete fixtures of Champions League T20, which starts in Jaipur on September 21.
With tournaments like the Indian Premium League (IPL) making cricket a cash cow, local game development companies are trying to make the most of the momentum.
Indian Premier League-II runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore take on South Africa's Cape Cobras in the opening match of the Champions League Twenty20 [ Images ] cricket tournament that commences in Bangalore on October 8. Hyderabad will host the final, on October 23, as well as the second semi-final, on October 22, while Delhi will host the first semi-final on October 21.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum was on Wednesday named New Zealand's cricketer of the year and also awarded Walter Hadlee Trophy for his batting in the ODIs. Jacob Oram was presented the JR Reid best all-rounder award, instituted for the first time. Richard Hadlee, the former New Zealand all-rounder, was awarded the Sutcliffe medal for outstanding services to cricket.
Opener Phillip Hughes and Moises Henriques scored unbeaten half-centuries to help New South Wales put up a modest 130 for two against Sussex Sharks in a Group B match of the inaugural Champions League in New Delhi on Sunday. Hughes played sensibly on the tricky Feroz Shah Kotla wicket to score 61 off 64 balls while Henriques was aggression personified from the time of his arrival at the crease as he took just 33 balls for his 51.
Andrew Puttick played a captains knock with an unbeaten 104 to steer Cape Cobras to a mammoth 193 for four against Otago Volts in a Group C match of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Saturday.
Three Indian teams -- IPL II champions Deccan Chargers Hyderabad, runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils, the top finishers after the league phase -- will figure in the tournament, matches of which will be played at three centres.
With hardly any international flavour in their ranks, their hopes rest on ace spinner Saeed Ajmal, the top-rated spinner in world cricket, and the experienced Misbah, who will look to shoulder the responsibility of amassing the runs.
Finn also has decent numbers in the white-ball formats. While he claimed 102 wickets in 69 ODIs at 29.37 and an economy of 5.06, in T20Is, he has 27 from 21 at an economy rate of 3.55.
Rookie pacer Rahul Shukla, who stole the limelight with figures of three for 23 in Rajasthan Royals' four-wicket win over Otago Volts in a crucial Champions League Twenty20 match, said he was eager to prove his worth after being dropped for two games.
New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder compiled a well-crafted century in his first match since surviving an assault that left him in a coma with serious head injuries.
Both the matches on Monday's programme in the Champions League T20 tournament in Ahmedabad were washed out.
Rajasthan Royals were dealt a massive blow ahead of their Champions League Twenty20 summit clash as destructive batsman Brad Hodge, who injured his knee in the semi-final, was declared unfit for Sunday's match.
The International Cricket Council approved rule changes that allow players to be replaced if they are feeling unwell or display COVID-19 symptoms and then return to the game if tests are negative.
The winners of IPL 6 Mumbai Indians will take on Rajasthan Royals, who finished third in the cash-rich tournament, in the inaugural group stage match of the Champions League Twenty20 to be played on September 21 at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
Neil Broom, the Otago Volts batsman who blasted the first century of Champions League T20 this season to help his team beat Perth Scorchers, termed his unbeaten 56-ball 117 run knock as special one.
Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves have been granted visas to play the Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India, it was reported on Friday.
The squad for the two Tests against India is set to be named on February 17, with the opening match starting four days later in Wellington on February 21.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances