The Champion’s League is a multi-nation club event, all set to take off, with twelve participating teams in India this October from 8th to 23rd. The 12 teams playing include three of the top ranking IPL teams (Deccan Chargers, Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils); two teams each from Australia (New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bush Rangers), England (still to be confirmed) and South Africa (Cape Cobras and Diamond Eagles); and one team each from New Zealand (Otago Volts); West Indies (Trinidad & Tobago); and Sri Lanka (Wayamba). Suddenly players who have been playing for their IPL teams have found themselves in mayhem whether to let go and play for their national teams instead. And what make decisions harder are issues of loyalty and obligation.

Cameron White, fast bowler Dirk Nannes and all-rounder Andrew McDonald, who played for Bangalore Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils respectively, have to choose between the IPL teams and Victoria Bush Rangers. Herschelle Gibbs has to choose between the Deccan Chargers and his home team, Cape Cobras, and Farveez Maharoof between Wayamba and Delhi Daredevils. Nathan Bracken too has to choose between New South Wales and Royal Challengers Bangalore.  

The dilemma is of a different kind for Brendon McCullum, whose IPL team (Kolkata Knight Riders) didn’t qualify; but McCullum has to choose between New South Wales (who are willing to pay a hefty price to procure his services) and his home team, Otago.

And it’s not just the cricketers who have to make the decisions. Coach Greg Shipperd too has to choose between Victoria and Delhi Daredevils. He had said earlier that if both teams did qualify, Victoria would be his first preference.

Cricket Australia (CA), which is one of the founding partners of the Champions League, said: "Where a state player is also an IPL player, it's the player's choice". "If an Australian state player opts to go to the IPL side then there is a compensation arrangement for the state side," CA spokesman Peter Young is quoted as saying by The Age.

According to Cricket Victoria's chief executive Tony Dodemaide, it is still difficult to decide what move the players might make: "We'll be sitting down with the cricket operations department, the selectors, coaches and obviously the players themselves and work our way through that," he said. 

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3.25 Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."

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