Delhi Daredevils will have to cough up US $200,000 to retain the services of a Dirk Nannes or David Warner in the Champions League Twenty20 under the new rule on cricketers who qualify for multiple teams.
As many as nine cricketers qualify for two teams, and according to the new rule, the 'away' team will have to pay US $200,000 to a player's 'home' team to retain his services, the CL T20 Governing Council said on Tuesday.
However, the 'away' teams are not eligible for compensation if a player chooses to play for his 'home' team, said the organizers, as the teams get set to announce their 20-player squads for the tournament, starting on October 8.
Nathan Bracken (NSW Blues, Royal Challengers Bangalore), Brendon McCullum (Otago Bolts, NSW Blues), Dirk Nannes (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), David Warner (NSW Blues, Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victorian Bushrangers, Royal Challengers Bangalore), Andrew McDonald (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), Herschelle Gibbs (Cape Cobras, Deccan Chargers), Farveez Maharoof (Wayamba, Delhi Daredevils) and Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, Sussex Sharks) face the dilemma of making a choice between the two teams they represent.
In the case of Smith, neither Deccan nor Sussex is his 'home' team.
"These qualification rules ensure players have a choice, subject to existing contracts, of who they represent in CL T20. The US $200,000 compensation paid to 'home' teams will create significant interest in the lead-up to the squad announcements," Dean Kino, CL T20 Governing Council member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs said.
"Once a team names its initial squad, CL T20 will assess which players have been listed for two or more teams. Players who have been nominated by multiple teams will then be contacted by CL T20 to nominate their chosen team. Players will then be given 24 hours to determine which team they wish to represent," added Kino.
Delhi Daredevils have four players in their ranks who also qualify to represent their home team, which means the Indian Premier League side led by Virender Sehwag will have to shell out US $800,000 to enjoy their services.
CL T20 Chairman Lalit Modi called it a 'revolutionary element' and said teams would laugh all the way to the bank.
"The ability of players to qualify for multiple teams adds another revolutionary element to the Airtel Champions League Twenty20. A number of players will face a tough decision over the coming days as to which team they will represent in the inaugural tournament in October," he said.
"In addition to the US $6 million in prize-money, each team is guaranteed a US $500,000 participation fee. This means that even teams that finish from the 9th to 12th place at the Airtel CLT20 will earn US $600,000, while the winners will receive more than US $3 million," Modi added.