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With the talks around the return of defunct Champions League T20 set to make a comeback after 12-long years under the name of World Club Championship, the first edition of the tournament is likely to be played in 2026. However, there have been discussions to relaunch the T20 tournament, teams from key T20 franchise tournaments like The Hundred, SA20, ILT20 and others will be seen playing in the tournament.
But with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), along with other top cricket boards like the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) receiving the backing from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold the tournament, new reports have revealed shocking details, providing the first major hiccup to the league.
World Club Championship 2026 to be held with IPL and Pakistan teams: Reports
Latest reports have claimed that the inaugural edition, which is set to be played in 2026, will not see participation from teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as well as Pakistan Super League (PSL). This comes after a source close to the developments stated, as quoted by India Today, “The Pakistan Cricket Board was invited to send its CEO of the PSL for a meeting held on the sidelines of the cricket connect meeting in London last month but no one showed up.”
“Discussions were held on the proposed World Clubs Championship, its window, format, schedule etc. (The) CEOs of the Emirates League, Big Bash League, The Hundred, SA20, MLC, Caribbean Premier League etc attended the meeting. Pakistan was also invited,” he confirmed. The source also added that although the tournament has a backing from BCCI, but the inaugural edition will see no IPL team participate.
“Though the planned event has the backing of the Indian board but for the inaugural championship there will be no IPL participation,” he said while adding that only five teams will contest in the opening edition. However, the development of the league is still under talks, it has to be seen when will it be held.
