Revival of Men's Champions League Twenty20 and Test Cricket Talks at ICC

In a significant development for international cricket, the ICC is poised to revive the Men's Champions League Twenty20 tournament as soon as September next year. This decision comes after key member nations expressed robust support during the ICC's annual conference in Singapore, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Meanwhile, the structure of Test cricket is under scrutiny, with proposals for a two-division format gathering momentum. A newly formed working group is tasked with overhauling the global cricket calendar from 2027 onwards. Sources intimate that a decisive call on the format of Test cricket is anticipated before the end of the year.

Only a few countries currently generate revenue from Test cricket, as many lack the infrastructure to develop competitive sides. Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg, ECB chief Richard Gould, and ICC's Sanjog Gupta are central to the discussions. Gupta emphasized that market demand will shape the future volume of Test and international cricket.

Referencing the fall of Blackberry due to market shifts, Gupta warned against maintaining an unwanted product, stating, "The ecosystem around the product will continue to suffer." The original T20 Champions League, backed by BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa, ran from 2008 until 2014 but was discontinued due to revenue challenges.

Now, with the T20 landscape having evolved considerably, organizing the tournament poses logistical challenges amid players' involvement in multiple global leagues. Discussions continue about revenue sharing for the revived tournament, while Saudi Arabia potentially funds an alternative T20 circuit.

(With inputs from agencies.)