The 2008 Champions League Twenty20 was scheduled to be the first edition of the Champions League Twenty20, an international club cricket tournament. It was due to be held in India between 3 and 10 December 2008,[1] where the winners were to earn around US$6 million. The 2008 Mumbai attacks just one week prior to the tournament resulted in its postponement.[2] It was proposed that the tournament be held in early 2009, but dates for its rearrangement could not be found and the tournament was cancelled on 12 December.[3] The league's first season was held in 2009.
 | |
| Administrator(s) | |
|---|---|
| Cricket format | Twenty20 |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and knockout |
| Participants | 8 |
Eight teams from five nations were invited for the tournament.
| Team | Country | Domestic tournament | Position | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | India | 2008 Indian Premier League | Runner-up | A |
| Dolphins | South Africa | 2007–08 Standard Bank Pro20 | Runner-up | B |
| Middlesex Crusaders | England | 2008 Twenty20 Cup | Winner | A |
| Rajasthan Royals | India | 2008 Indian Premier League | Winner | B |
| Sialkot Stallions | Pakistan | 2008–09 RBS Twenty-20 Cup | Winner | B |
| Titans | South Africa | 2007–08 Standard Bank Pro20 | Winner | A |
| Victorian Bushrangers | Australia | 2007–08 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash | Winner | A |
| Western Warriors | Australia | 2007–08 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash | Runner-up | B |
The organisers of the tournament confirmed that any team competing would be banned from fielding players who had competed in the Indian Cricket League, a rival to the Indian Premier League.[5] As a result of this, the participation of English teams in the tournament was put in jeopardy: during the 2008 English season, 15 of the 18 county teams fielded players from the ICL.[6] On 24 July 2008, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed their stance by stating that only Middlesex and Essex stood a chance of being invited to the Champions League because they did not have ICL links.[7]