Champions League T20 scheduled to begin from September 23

The Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) cricket is scheduled to begin in India from September 23 and go till October 9.

The tournament returns to India this year with matches in Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata, as well as a qualifying event in Hyderabad from September 19-21.

The tournament will have 10 teams competing. Seven teams have already qualified for the event. A six-team qualifying event will be held for the first time to determine the final three participants.

The teams will be divided into two pools and the top team from each pool qualifies for the group stage, and the third would be the next highest ranked team based on points and then net run rate.

In the group stage, 10 teams have been divided into two groups for a round robin phase. The top two teams from each group would progress to the semifinals.

The group stage matches will be held in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, and MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Bangalore will host the first semifinal (October 7) while the other semifinal (October 8), and the final (Octover 9) will be held in Chennai.

Chennai Super Kings, the defending CLT20 Champions, have been drawn in Group A along with Cape Cobras (South Africa's Pro20 Series Champions), 2009 Champions NSW Blues and Mumbai Indians. The fifth team from the group will be the team that finishes top of Pool B in the qualifier.

Group B contains Royal Challengers Bangalore (IPL runners-up), Warriors of South Africa (2010 CLT20 runner-up), and South Australian Redbacks (Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash Champions). The remaining two places will come from the Qualifiers (the top of pool A and the next highest qualifier).

The tournament starts in Bangalore with a group B clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Warriors at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.