Champions League T20 set for comeback in 2026- Reports

The new Champions League T20 structure and other details will be planned at a later date.

The Champions League T20, formerly heralded as the battleground of elite franchise teams around the world, is set to make a big comeback, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) planning a relaunch next year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The decision to reinstate the showpiece T20 competition was made at the ICC’s annual conference in Singapore, with top member nations supporting the initiative. The first edition of the CLT20 operated from 2008 to 2014; however, it was abandoned owing to financial difficulties.

At the time, ESPN Star had committed nearly $1 billion in rights, seeking to capitalise on the burgeoning popularity of T20 cricket after missing out on the IPL.

ICC to discuss Champions League T20 plan; possible issues with relaunch

The league, which is managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA), and Cricket South Africa (CSA), has its fair share of highlights. In reality, ESPN Star’s huge investment helped fund the early years of Australia’s Big Bash League, which later achieved commercial success in 2013.

Since then, the worldwide T20 scene has shifted drastically. Dozens of leagues now compete for talent and attention, and one significant challenge for the new CLT20 will be regulating player participation. Many great cricketers now play for multiple teams throughout the world in the same calendar year.

Furthermore, the financial foundation for the redesigned event is still being discussed.  There is growing support for a Saudi-backed concept that would see the monarchy underwrite a worldwide T20 circuit—or perhaps host the Champions League itself. 

The final recommendations on the tournament’s structure are anticipated to be delivered to the ICC board, chaired by India’s Jay Shah, before the end of the year.

Test Cricket Facing Restructure as ICC Considers Two-Tier Model

While the focus was primarily on T20 expansion, Test cricket was also a hot topic during the ICC meeting. The governing body is considering limiting Test matches to top-ranked teams or implementing a two-tier structure.

These modifications could take effect after 2027, based on the work of a newly constituted body tasked with reforming the international calendar.

Sanjog Gupta, formerly the head of sport at Indian broadcaster JioStar, also contributed to the players’ association’s global study of cricket scheduling. He stressed that the future of test and international cricket will be determined by market pressures and audience demand.

“You have to make hard choices. And there are very clear indicators of what fans want. If you continue to serve a product that no one wants, that product will suffer—and so will everything around it. Blackberry vanished for a reason—it was replaced by something the market found more relevant,” said Gupta, speaking at the MCC’s World Cricket Connects panel at Lord’s.

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