Guide to the Twenty20 Champions League

Have no idea what cricket's Twenty20 Champions League is all about? You've come to the right place.

The Twenty20 Champions League pits the best Twenty20 provincial teams from India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies against one another (England and Pakistan teams have not entered the tournament). The tournament runs from September 11 to September 26, in South Africa.

The 10 teams are split into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals. The reigning champions, New South Wales, did not qualify for this year's tournament.

A total of $US6 million is up for grabs in the tournament, with all qualified teams getting a healthy financial boost.

Prizemoney
Winners: $US2.5 million
Runners-up: $US1.3 million
Semi-finalists: $US500,000
All other teams: $US200,000

Last year's top players
Batting:
1. JP Duminy (Cape Cobras) 224 runs, 140 strike rate
2. David Warner (NSW Blues) 207 runs, 140.81 strike rate
3. Phil Hughes (NSW Blues) 202 runs, 108.02 strike rate
4. Ross Taylor (Royal Challengers) 152 runs, 190 strike
rate
5. Keiron Pollard (Trinidad & Tobago) 146 runs, 197.29 strike rate

Bowling:
1. Dwayne Bravo (Trinidad & Tobago) 12 wickets, 15.83 average, 8.63 economy
2. Moises Henriques (NSW Blues) 10 wickets, 11.60 average, 7.03 economy
3. Clint McKay (Victoria Bushrangers) 10 wickets, 12.00 average, 6.00 economy
4. Dirk Nannes (Delhi Daredevils) 9 wickets, 8.77 average, 5.26 economy
5. Stuart Clark (NSW Blues) 9 wickets, 12.44 average, 4.90 economy

This year's teams

GROUP A

Chennai Super Kings (India)
Domestic result: IPL Winner
Betting to win Champions League: $6
Star players: MS Dhoni (India), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Doug Bollinger (Australia), Albie Morkel (South Africa)

Victoria Bushrangers (Australia)
Domestic result: Big Bash Winner
Betting: $6.50
Star players: Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Peter Siddle, Dirk Nannes (all Australia)

Warriors (South Africa)
Domestic result: Pro20 Winner
Betting: $7.50
Star players: Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Nicky Boje (all South Africa)

Wyamba Elevens (Sri Lanka)
Domestic result: Inter-Provincial Winner
Betting: $11
Star players: Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)

Central Districts Stags (New Zealand)
Domestic result: HRV Cup Winner
Betting: $26
Star players: Matthew Sinclair, Jacob Oram, Peter Ingram (all New Zealand)

GROUP B

Bangalore Royal Challengers (India)
Domestic result: IPL 3rd Place
Betting: $5.00
Star players: Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn (South Africa), Cameron White (Australia), Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (India)

Mumbai Indians (India)
Domestic result: IPL Runner-up
Betting: $5.50
Star players: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh (India), Keiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo (West Indies) Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka), JP Duminy (South Africa)

South Australia Redbacks (Australia)
Domestic result: Big Bash Runner-up
Betting: $9.00
Star players: Shaun Tait, Callum Ferguson, Michael Klinger (all Australia)

Highveld Lions (South Africa)
Domestic result: Pro20 Runner-up
Betting: $17
Star players: Neil McKenzie, Alviro Petersen (South Africa)

Guyana (West Indies)
Domestic result: Caribbean Twenty20 Winner
Betting: $21
Star players: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Travis Dowlin (West Indies)

Follow all the news, fixtures and results from the 2010 Twenty20 Champions League on BigPond Sport.