"I think the world wasn't ready" - Aakash Chopra on whether Champions League T20 should return

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the defunct Champions League T20 should return. He reckoned that the tournament was ahead of its time when it was played earlier.

The Champions League T20 was played between the best-performing franchise teams across cricketing nations. Six editions of the tournament were held, with the last one being played in 2014.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener replied in the affirmative when asked whether the Champions League T20 should be restarted.

"Personally, I am a very big fan of the Champions League T20. I feel it happened ahead of its time. I think the world wasn't ready. We dived into this tournament slightly early," he said (0:30).

Chopra pointed out that the tournament will be an enticing proposition, considering the proliferating T20 leagues across the world.

"However, I feel it has a lot of potential where you play a league between the champions of all leagues played across the world, which will include the IPL, BBL, CPL, the Hundred and SA20. It will be extremely enjoyable. Even MLC is played now. So there are quite a few fantastic leagues happening around the globe. So I feel the Champions League should be brought back," he observed.

Indian teams won the Champions League T20 on four occasions, with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) bagging the title twice apiece. Australian teams won the trophy twice, with the New South Wales Blues and the Sydney Sixers triumphing once apiece.

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"The rules were too lopsided in favor of the IPL teams" - Aakash Chopra on the flaw in the earlier version of the Champions League T20

KKR were the runners-up in the 2014 Champions League T20. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that the rules favored the IPL teams in the earlier version of the Champions League T20.

"The cricket economy is dependent a lot on the IPL teams, which is right. However, I think the flaw last time was that the rules were too lopsided in favor of the IPL teams, that they could keep all their players. Assuming KKR reaches there and a KKR player played in the Big Bash League final as well, Kolkata was being given the first right," he said (1:05).

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player noted that the IPL teams became much stronger than the other franchises.

"You could actually buy your players. Due to that, the IPL teams became very strong and the other teams looked weaker. So there were a few flaws, but as a tournament, if you look at it as a thought process, I think the Champions League should return," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra highlighted that the Champions League T20 will help in determining the ultimate champion every year. While acknowledging that the broadcasting rights might not be sold at a high price, he opined that the tournament has a proper place in world cricket now.