Champions League Winners Prize $2.5 Million

Mumbai: A record prize money pool of six million dollars, including a winners' share of $2.5 million, would be up for grabs in the 12-team Champions League Twenty20 tournament that kicks off at Bangalore on October 8.

"This is the single largest prize money pool in any cricket tournament so far," said the tournament's chairman Lalit Modi before unveiling the glittering 1.5-foot tall diamond-studded trophy on Wednesday.

The runners-up are to receive $1.3 million while the losing semi finalists would get richer by $500,000 each.

Teams ending up between 5 and 8 positions would get $200,000 each and those finishing in the bottom four would pocket $100,000 apiece, it was announced.

"A hundred top cricketers of the world would be seen in action. The opening ceremony would be held at Bangalore on October 7. We have put top class security measures in place with the involvement of the governments and city authorities," said Modi.

Three Indian teams, including Indian Premier League champions Deccan Chargers (Hyderabad), runners-up Royal Challengers (Bangalore) and Delhi Daredevils would be fighting it out in the tournament that ends on October 23.

The other participating teams would be from Australia, South Africa, England (two each), New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

All the players have confirmed participation in the event, it was announced.

The participating teams would be playing 19 warm-up matches between October 5 and 7 in the three cities which are hosting the ties in the event - Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad.

An expert panel would choose the All Stars XI after the tournament, it was announced.

Modi said that for the first time in India there would be access control systems (turnstiles) at the gates for the spectators to enter the venues. "These will be used at Delhi and Bangalore," he said.

Modi said that with a view to spread the game to non-cricketing nations, the telecast would be done in eleven different languages - including in European tongues like Hungaria, Italian, Spanish, German etc on the Eurosport broadcast network.

"We want to take cricket to these people in the language they understand," he explained.

Manu Sawhney, MD of ESPN Star Sports who have won the broadcast rights for the tournament, said that the telecast would be seen in 160 countries.