BASED on the evidence so far, the inaugural T20 Champions League is already proving a big hit. Although, sceptics do exist.

Two tournaments started on the same day. One in Bengaluru,  the other in Nagpur. There were no takers for the one in Nagpur (incidentally it’s called the Challenger Trophy) whereas the opening match of Champions League in Bengaluru, had all the makings of a superhit show. JP Duminy played a brilliant knock and the local outfit (Royal Challengers) lost even after posting 180 in 20 overs. It was some game. Really!

Away in Nagpur, the likes of Dhoni and Harbhajan must have been ruing their luck and saying to themselves, “If only Chennai Superkings and Mumbai Indians had qualified, we too would have been playing in the Champions League.” Because that’s where all the action lay.

Next to nobody was watching Dhoni and Harbhajan in Nagpur (not only on the ground, but also on the TV), while all eyes were on Bangalore.

The sceptics are saying that there are not enough stars in the Champions League. Well, if Duminy, Kallis, Lee, Sehwag, Kumble and Dravid are not stars, it will be extremely entertaining to know who they are. And if Sachin, Dhoni and Harbhajan are not playing in the Champions League, it’s only because their respective teams did not qualify for this cash-rich tournament. Did we say cash rich? Cash rich, of course. The winners will be getting close to Rs 120 million and everybody else too stands to gain a considerable sum of money (from sponsors and so on). And the majority of them are only domestic players.

Back in New Zealand and England, this league has generated a tremendous amount of interest. A friend of mine working for Radio New Zealand called in to tell me the other day, the kind of frenzy there is to know about the fate of the local team Otago Volts (sadly it didn't do too well and is already booked to fly back home, richer in every sense for the experience though). Same for followers of Somerset and Sussex.

It’s really a very big thing for these domestic players (more than we can imagine sitting here in India) to be put upon the big stage, where they are only a step away from fame, money, glamour and greatness. It is really something they can look forward to. It is the next big step for them.