Mumbai Indians face Rajasthan Royals in CLT20 opener

Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians will play Rajasthan Royals, who finished third in the same competition, in the inaugural match of the Champions League T20 2013 at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Stadium September 21.

The CLT20 2013 final will be played October 6 at the Ferozeshah Kotla Grounds, Delhi, which hosted Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator in the Pepsi IPL 2013.

The Kotla will also host the second semi-final of the tournament, Oct 5. The first semi-final will be played at Jaipur Oct 4.

The opening group stage encounter will be followed by a double-header at Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium Complex, Sep 22.

Brisbane Heat, the winners of Australia's KFC T20 Big Bash League, will play Trinidad and Tobago, the domestic T20 champions in the West Indies, in the first game and it will be followed by a duel between Chennai Super Kings, IPL runners-up, and the Titans, South Africa's domestic T20 runners-up.

Delhi, Jaipur and Ranchi apart, the CLT20 2013 matches will be played at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, and the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad.

The teams will play one another once, with the top two advancing to the Group Stage. Q1 / Q3 will enter Group A, if either of them makes it to the Group Stage. Q2 / Q4 will enter Group B, if either of them makes it. If Q1 and Q3 both make it to the Group Stage, then Q1 will enter Group A, and Q3 will enter Group B. If Q2 and Q4 both make it to the Group Stage, then Q2 will enter Group B, and Q4 will enter Group A.

The Group Stage will feature ten teams. Group A will comprise Mumbai Indians (winners of Pepsi IPL 2013), Rajasthan Royals (third-ranked team in the Pepsi IPL 2013), Highveld Lions (winners of South Africa's domestic T20 competition), Perth Scorchers (KFC T20 Big Bash League runners-up), and a team from the Qualifier.

Group B will comprise Brisbane Heat (KFC T20 Big Bash League champions), Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies T20 champions), Chennai Super Kings (runners-up in the Pepsi IPL 2013), Titans (South Africa's domestic T20 runners-up), and a team from the Qualifier.

The top team from Group A will play the second-ranked team from Group B in the first semi-final at Jaipur on Oct 4, 2013. The top team from Group B will play the second-ranked team from Group A in the second semi-final at Delhi on Oct 5, 2013. The winners of the semis will play in the CLT20 2013 Final on Oct 6, 2013.

Group A: Mumbai Indians (India), Highveld Lions (South Africa), Perth Scorchers (Australia), Rajasthan Royals (India), and A team from the Qualifier.

Group B: Chennai Super Kings (India), Titans (South Africa), Brisbane Heat (Australia), Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies), and A team from the Qualifier.

Qualifier

Q1 - Otago Volts (New Zealand)

Q2 - Sunrisers Hyderabad (India)

Q3 - SLC1 (Sri Lanka)

Q4 - Faisalabad Wolves (Pakistan)

--Indo-Asia News Service

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