NEW DELHI, Sept 8: The second edition of the Twenty20 Champions League will be held in September-October 2009, organisers said on Monday, dealing another blow to the crisis-ridden Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

The dates of the multi-million dollar event clash with the International Cricket Council’s decision to hold the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in October 2009.

The Champions Trophy, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) second biggest tournament after the World Cup, was due to be held this month but was cancelled by the world body due to security concerns in Pakistan.

The ICC, while announcing the cancellation last month, said the event would take place in October 2009 with Pakistan remaining the first choice venue pending a security assessment.

India, Australia and South Africa set themselves on a collision course with the ICC on Monday by saying the next edition of inter-club T20 Champions League will be held from Sept 25-Oct 11, 2009.

With Australia due to tour India for seven One-day Internationals from mid-October next year, the ICC faces tough negotiations to go through with the Champions Trophy on the allotted dates.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) today announced the dates of the second edition of the Champions League Twenty20 from September 25th to October 11th, 2009,” a joint release by the three boards said.

“The 2009 edition will feature 12 teams and will see 23 matches played. It is scheduled during the prime Indian festive season.” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, in New Delhi to announce the nominees for the 2008 international awards, said the governing body will meet in Dubai on Thursday to discuss the calendar.

“A framework for the existing Future Tours Program (FTP) exists and we will work within this framework,” Lorgat told reporters.

“I do not agree with the implication that the FTP is going out of control due to new events.” The inaugural eight-nation T20 Champions League, boasting a six-million-dollar purse, is due to take place from December 3-10 this year at a venue yet to be determined.

The event will be contested by the top two teams of the domestic T20 competitions in India, Australia and South Africa and one team each from England and Pakistan.

The tournament had been due to take place in September but was put back to December following objections from the ICC that it was being held too close to the now postponed Champions Trophy.

The recent boom in Twenty20 cricket, sparked by the lucrative Indian Premier League this year, has led to concern in some quarters about the future of traditional Test and one-day cricket.

—AFP