These 5 players got IPL contract after doing well in Champions League T20

 

The Champions League T20 was started in the year 2009, in which all the top T20 franchises took part in the competition. The BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa set up the CLT20 competition. Teams from the top 8 Test playing countries participated in this competition, whose format was similar to the T20 World Cup.

The organizers divided the teams into groups. The top teams qualified for the next round, and in the end, a winner was declared. Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings won the title twice, while New South Wales Blues and Sydney Sixers won one CLT20 trophy. This league allowed players from other countries to attract the attention of IPL franchises. In this list, we will look at five players who first performed well in CLT20 and then bagged IPL contracts.

1) Kieron Pollard

Trinidad and Tobago was the runner-up in the first season of the Champions League T20. The Caribbean team won all their matches before reaching the final, but they lost to the New South Wales team in the final of the tournament.

Kieron Pollard performed brilliantly for the team, scoring 154 runs in six matches and taking four wickets. His strike rate in the competition was 197. In the 2010 auction, Mumbai Indians signed him for INR 3.47 crores.

2) Sunil Narine

Another Trinidadian player to feature in this list is mystery spinner Sunil Narine. He had an impressive 2011 season in the Champions League T20, taking ten wickets in six matches.

Most importantly, he bowled at an economy rate of 4.37. Thus, there was a bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians for his services in the 2012 IPL auction. Eventually, KKR signed him for 3.51 crores.

3) Chris Morris

Chris Morris holds the record for the most expensive bid in IPL auction history. Rajasthan Royals spent Rs 16.25 crore to sign the South African all-rounder in IPL auction 2021.

Many fans would know that Morris's first IPL team was Chennai Super Kings. CSK signed him in the 2013 IPL auction for 3.32 crores. The all-rounder caught the attention of the Chennai-based franchise after performing well for the Highveld Lions in the CLT20 2012. Morris took six wickets in six matches and scored 34 runs at a strike rate of 136 to help his team qualify for the CLT20 2012 final.

4) Michael Klinger

Michael Klinger played for the South Australia Redbacks in the 2010 and 2011 editions of the Champions League T20. Klinger continued to perform well for his team as he scored 287 runs in eight innings at an average of 41.

The right-handed batsman soon earned an IPL contract from the Kochi Tuskers Kerala team. However, Australian players could not perform well in the Indian Premier League.

5) Davy Jacobs

South African wicket-keeper batsman Davy Jacobs was the star of the 2010 Champions League T20. He played six matches for the Warriors, scoring 286 runs at an average of 47.66.

The South African star got a contract from Mumbai Indians in IPL auction 2011. Unfortunately, like Michael Klinger, Jacobs could not continue his good form in the IPL.