The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is actively exploring plans to relaunch a global franchise tournament in the mould of the long-defunct Champions League T20 (CLT20), with a modernized concept dubbed the World Club Championship now firmly under consideration.
Amid a saturated landscape of domestic T20 leagues and the rise of franchise ownership across borders, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould told ESPNcricinfo that the sport is ready to reintroduce a global tournament for top-performing club teams from around the world.
“That is on the cards. Without doubt, at some point, there will be a World Club Championship — for both men and women. That’s the next logical step,” said Gould.
Champions League T20 was ahead of its time, says Gould
The proposed World Club Championship would be a spiritual successor to the CLT20, which ran from 2009 to 2014 as a joint venture between the BCCI, Cricket Australia, and Cricket South Africa. The tournament initially generated buzz and secured a major broadcast deal, but waning public interest and commercial challenges ultimately led to its demise.
Gould, who was Somerset’s CEO during the inaugural CLT20, recalled his team’s triumph over IPL champions Deccan Chargers in thier opening match and praised the event’s ambition.
“That tournament was ahead of its time,” he said. “Commercially, it couldn’t keep up with the expectations on it, but it was a really good event.”
Unlike the original CLT20, the ECB was not a stakeholder in its governance, and English sides withdrew from the final editions due to scheduling conflicts with the County Championship season. Any new tournament will need to navigate cricket’s crowded calendar, a point not lost on administrators.
Franchise boom adds momentum—but IPL buy-in will be key
The modern franchise ecosystem is far more evolved than it was a decade ago. Nearly every major cricketing nation now has a commercially-backed league: India (IPL), Australia (BBL), Pakistan (PSL), England (The Hundred), South Africa (SA20), the UAE (ILT20), and the United States (MLC).
In many cases, IPL franchise owners have expanded globally. Eight of the 10 IPL franchises now control teams in overseas leagues, while four of the five WPL teams have international holdings as well.
Their participation—and particularly India’s—will be crucial to any new global competition. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal told ESPNcricinfo last month:
“If it creates value for cricket at a global stage, definitely we can look at that.”
While the ECB envisions The Hundred’s winners representing England in any future World Club Championship, ESPNcricinfo understands that this is the likely scenario, rather than the T20 Blast. However, the logistics of aligning calendars and commercial interests across continents remain a major hurdle.
Why this tournament might succeed where CLT20 failed
In contrast to previous skepticism, Gould’s current enthusiasm for a global tournament represents a shift in tone. Earlier this year, referring to a Saudi Arabian-funded “Grand Slam” T20 circuit, he said there was:
“no scope or demand.”
But the World Club Championship, by uniting the top clubs from established domestic leagues, appears to offer a different value proposition—both competitively and commercially.
Recent ventures suggest a growing appetite for international club competitions. Guyana’s “Global Super League,” launched in 2023, brings together teams from the BBL, ILT20, Super Smash, and other leagues in an invitation-only format. Rugby and football have both recently greenlit global club tournaments, further validating the model.
The vision now is to create a world-stage platform where the best franchise teams—possibly led by IPL, SA20, The Hundred, and ILT20 champions—can compete annually, giving broader meaning to the domestic T20 circuit while tapping into global cricket fandom.
Whether the World Club Championship can overcome the calendar chaos and stakeholder politics that doomed its predecessor remains to be seen. But the ECB’s public backing and the shifting dynamics of franchise ownership suggest the concept’s time may have finally arrived.
