Champions League T20 Is Back! Timeline Revealed For Iconic Tournament's Return
According to a report in The Age, key cricket nations backed the proposal of a T20 Champions League at the ICC meeting currently taking place in Singapore. The first iteration of the global franchise tournament was launched in 2008 and ran until 2014, when the broadcaster, ESPN Star, ran into losses.
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First Post
6 hours ago
- First Post
India vs Pakistan clash at LA 2028 Olympics unlikely as only 1 Asian team to qualify: Report
Cricket will return to the Olympics at LA 2028 after 128 years. However, only one Asian team is reported to qualify directly for the event. This makes an India vs Pakistan clash highly unlikely. The ICC is set to debate the qualification process at its Singapore AGM. read more Cricket is all set to return to the Olympics after 128 years, with men's and women's T20 events scheduled for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. However, fans hoping for an India vs Pakistan clash might be disappointed. According to Forbes, only one Asian team will directly qualify for the men's event, making it very unlikely that both arch-rivals will feature together. The men's and women's competitions will reportedly have just six teams each. The host nation, the USA, is likely to get an automatic slot, which leaves just five remaining spots. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The report suggests that the ICC is leaning towards a regional qualification model. That means only the top-ranked T20I team from each region - Asia, Oceania, Europe, and Africa - will automatically qualify, while the final spot will be decided through a qualifying tournament. This could mean only one Asian team - likely India, based on their superior ranking - would make it directly, leaving Pakistan to fight for the remaining Olympic place in qualifiers. The ICC is currently debating how qualification should work, with the topic set to be discussed at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Singapore. Also Read: PCB stares at loss of crores if Asia Cup is cancelled: 'Revenues from ICC and Asia Cup are very important' Qualification process stirs debate Some associate members want qualifying tournaments instead of just rankings, saying it would give them a fair chance. Zimbabwe Cricket chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani, who is an ICC board director and also part of the Olympic working group, has urged that the qualifying tournament should be for everyone and not just full members. 'We should really make the most of cricket being in the Olympics and have qualifying tournaments instead of rankings, which don't make sense in terms of trying to develop the sport,' Mukuhlani told Forbes. 'The qualifying tournaments should be for everyone and not just Full Members (cricket's 12 nations who receive the most power and funds). It's fairer and if you look at other major sports, like football and basketball, you see some amazing things happen where underdog nations qualify," he added. Also Read: India camp rocked by injury crisis: How team combination could change after Nitish Reddy, Arshdeep Singh blow STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, others have argued that using rankings would be cheaper and easier because cricket's schedule is already packed. However, they also want inclusivity to be a factor and ensure that the right decision is taken so cricket is made part of the Olympics for good and not just for one edition. 'Discussions will be focused on what is the best option and there is the cost factor to consider, but inclusivity has to be a factor too and it would be great to showcase a curtain raiser before the Olympics,' Sumod Damodar, one of the three Associate member representatives on the Chief Executives' Committee, was quoted as saying. 'We need to make sure the right decision is made for cricket because the sport wants to be part of Brisbane 2032 and beyond. We don't want to be in situations where every four years we are begging for inclusion.' The LA28 Olympic cricket matches will be held at a temporary stadium in Pomona, about 50 km from Los Angeles, from July 12 to 29, 2028. Medal matches will be played on July 20 and 29. The cricket matches at Olympics will begin two days before the start of the main event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
NDTV
8 hours ago
- NDTV
Exiled Afghanistan Women Cricketers Get More ICC Backing
The International Cricket Council has pledged more support to Afghanistan's displaced women's cricketers to get back to playing. Most were forced into exile when the Taliban regained power in 2021 and then effectively outlawed women from playing sport. Many fled to Australia and held a match -- without their official crest -- in Melbourne earlier this year. The ICC's annual conference in Singapore at the weekend heard that progress had been made on the governing body's Afghanistan women's cricket initiative. "The programme aims to deliver structured support," the ICC said in a statement late Sunday. It includes "domestic playing opportunities, and engagement at key ICC global events, including the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 in India and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 in England," the statement continued, without giving details. But reports said it will enable Afghanistan players the chance to speak to fellow international cricketers and attend workshops conducted by coaches at the global showpieces. The initiative is a collaborative effort by the cricket boards of India, England, India and Australia under the supervision of ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja.
Business Standard
8 hours ago
- Business Standard
Cricket at Olympics: LA 2028 bows to India and subcontinent viewership
For the first time in Olympic history, the clock is being set to Indian time—figuratively, at least. As cricket makes its grand return to the Olympics at Los Angeles 2028, organisers have bent the scheduling arc towards the subcontinent's billion-strong cricket fanbase. In a strategic masterstroke, the local organising committee, in concert with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), has locked in match timings designed to maximise TV audiences in India. Two T20 clashes per day will unfold in Los Angeles (LA) — at 9:00 am and 6:30 pm local time—translating to 9:30 pm and 7:00 am IST, respectively. For Indian viewers, it's a golden window. The Cricketing carnival begins before the Olympics 2028 opening ceremony Cricket's re-entry into the Olympic fold is so momentous that it will even jump the starter's gun. The men's and women's six-team T20 tournaments will start on July 12, two full days before the opening ceremony. The venue? A brand-new stadium set to rise at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, just 30 miles from the athletes' village. And in a surprising twist, the men's and women's events will run in separate slots instead of being played simultaneously—giving each format its own stage. In a move that defies standard Olympic protocol, the medal matches for cricket will take place in the early morning hours of Los Angeles time—the 9:00 am to 12:00 pm window. The bronze medal contests will follow in the evening. The symbolism is unmistakable. While Olympic tradition often crowns bronze before gold, here, gold takes centre stage—perhaps under the assumption that India, a cricketing powerhouse, will be in contention. Yet, a word of caution: the schedule is still labelled "subject to change" until the Games conclude. Billion-Eyes Bet: IOC sweetens the media rights pot With India all but guaranteed to field its top team, the inclusion of cricket has become a trump card in the IOC's media rights game. On July 3, the IOC opened bidding for Olympic broadcast rights from 2026 to 2032—a tender that spans India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Three types of rights packages are on offer: multiplatform, TV-only, and digital-only. The deadline? August 13. Given the meteoric rise of cricket consumption in India and the sport's mass appeal, the IOC's calculated timing could send bids soaring. Olympic rights in this region draw their biggest value from the summer Games, and cricket's inclusion adds rocket fuel. Viacom18's 2024 Coup and the 2032 Horizon In 2022, Viacom18 outbid Sony for the Paris 2024 rights in India, disrupting the Olympic broadcast status quo. Now, with cricket in the mix, broadcasters will return to the table with heightened urgency—and deeper pockets. The IOC knows it's sitting on a goldmine. "Cricket will massively boost the Games' appeal in India," said Jerome Parmentier, IOC VP of media rights and content. "When you bring in a sport that speaks to over a billion people, you amplify the Olympics' universality." Still, Parmentier cautioned that the Olympics must be more than just a cricket show. "We don't want to limit the Olympic Games to [just] a cricket tournament in India," he noted. Cricket isn't the only fresh face at LA 2028. Several debutant sports have also been slotted with an eye on local and global appeal: Flag Football, another LA 2028 addition, scores a prime-time slot for its men's final (6–8:30 pm PT, July 21), with the women's final the next day. Lacrosse will share a stadium with flag football, kicking off on July 24 and wrapping with both finals on July 29. Squash, another debutant, opens on July 15, with its finals on July 23 and 24, scheduled for evening sessions. Baseball-softball makes a comeback. The men's final returns to Dodger Stadium at 6:00 pm on July 20, while the women's softball final—staged in Oklahoma City—will take place at 12:00 pm (local time) on July 29. With cricket stealing the spotlight and prime-time slots pointing squarely at Indian eyeballs, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics could mark a new era in India's relationship with the Games. Not just as spectators—but as a dominant force shaping the Games' global narrative.
