CLT20: Taylor faces team loyalty dilemma

New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor will have a unique dilemma at this year's Champions League Twenty20 with the New Zealand batsman having qualified for as many as three teams for the September 10-26 event.

At least another six cricketers have qualified for two teams and will have to make a choice before the CLT20 starts with a Mumbai Indians-Highveld Lions match at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, which will also host the final.

Taylor became the first player in CLT20's short history to qualify for three teams after his home province Central Stags made it to the event, along with his 'away' teams Victoria Bushrangers and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

As was the case in 2009, an 'away' team would have to pay $200,000 to the 'home' team to avail the services of such a player. 'Away' teams, however, are not eligible for compensation if a player chooses to play for his 'home' team.

Already, six players have qualified for two teams - Jacques Kallis (Warriors, Royal Challengers

Bangalore), Mark Boucher (Warriors, Royal Challengers Bangalore), Makhaya Ntini (Warriors, Chennai Super Kings), Kieron Pollard (South Australian Redbacks, Mumbai Indian), Dwayne Bravo (Victoria Bushrangers, Mumbai Indian) and Cameron White (Victoria Bushrangers, Royal Challengers Bangalore).

And if Trinidad & Tobago emerge as champions of the West Indies Cricket Board's domestic Twenty20 competition, Pollard and Bravo will also join Taylor with three options for the tournament.

Meanwhile, the organisers of the tournament on Tuesday announced that while Wanderers would host the first match and the final of the tournament, Durban and Centurion will host the semi-finals on September 24 and 25 respectively.

The 10 competing teams - including three from India - have been divided into two groups of five for a round robin phase before the top two teams from each group progress to the semi-finals.

Mumbai and the Highveld Lions have been drawn in Group B alongside South Australia's Redbacks, Royal Challengers Bangalore and West Indies' representative which will be determined in late-July.

Group A includes MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, Victoria Bushrangers, Warriors, Wayamba and Central Stags.

"With 100 international stars having qualified to participate through one - or more - of their Twenty20 teams, fans will be treated to daily battle between the world's best cricketers,"

CLT20 Chairman Shashank Manohar said.

"Fans attending any of the matches throughout the tournament will be entertained by the highest quality Twenty20 cricket featuring South Africa's home grown heroes and world cricket's biggest and brightest stars," he added.