ESPN3 To Broadcast Tournament Live In USA

2014 Champions League Twenty20
ESPN3 welcomes the return of Champions League Twenty20 cricket with exclusive live coverage in the U.S., which officially begins with qualifiers tomorrow, September 13.  Once again, the multi-screen sports network will make the premier tournament available to 95 million households nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their video or internet subscription from an affiliated provider.  All the action from the pitch live from India is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

“Fans have come to know ESPN3 as the leading destination for cricket in the U.S., and the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 tournament features the best clubs from across the globe,” said Jason Bernstein, senior director of programming and acquisitions, ESPN.  “We look forward to continue serving these passionate fans and attracting new ones nationwide.”

Champions League Twenty20 features the world’s top national cricket clubs.  The Qualifying Stage will pit two-time winners and current CLT20 title-holders, Mumbai Indians, against the domestic T20 champs from New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Northern District Knights, Lahore Lions (both first-timers) and Southern Express, respectively. The champions, who finished fourth in the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), boast West Indian superstars, Kieron Pollard as captain, as well as hard-hitting opener Lendl Simmons in the quest to defend their crown with the top two qualifiers advancing to the Group Stage.

The second-placed qualifier will join Group B consisting of the 2014 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) winners, Barbados Tridents, the CPL’s first-ever entrant into the competition. They will be led by Trinidad and Tobago’s Rayad Emrit after their skipper, Pollard, opted to play for his aforementioned IPL franchise. West Indian international pace duo of Ravi Rampaul and Jason Holder will also be leading their attack as both teams engage the three domestic runners-up in King’s XI Punjab (IPL), debutants Hobart Hurricanes (Australia) and Cape Cobras (South Africa).

The winning qualifier will enter Group A, which includes the 2014 IPL champs, Kolkata Knight Riders, who will have West Indies talismans, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, in their ranks. They will be alongside Australian and South African domestic T20 champs in Perth Scorchers and Sunfoil Dolphins respectively. Chennai Super Kings, third-place finishers in the 2014 IPL, round out the Group with Windies powerhouses such as Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree and another player who opted against representing the Tridents, Dwayne Smith, included in their squad. The top two from each Group will proceed to the Semi-Finals on October 2 en route to the Finals on October 4.

The complete Champions League Twenty20 Championship schedule on ESPN3: