Champions league twenty20 2013 Features

Apart from the domestic circuit, franchise-based cricket is the only format that pits them against each other and after Sunday (October 6), even that won't happen again. Tendulkar has already confirmed that he won't play the Indian Premier League next year and Dravid, while he hasn't said so in as many words, has often hinted that this is it.

While praising the T20 format for the exposure it gives to Indian youngsters, Rahul Dravid also stressed on the fact that Test cricket and fans of the longer format deserve equal respect.

Simon Katich is one of those who instinctively radiates 'up for a challenge' whenever he steps on to the ground. If you were in a scrap, you'd want Katich on your side.

Tsotsobe is part of a battery of high-class South African pacers. Though he's played five Tests, he's more of a regular in the limited-overs formats where the angles he creates as a left-arm pacer, his ability to swing the ball and keep it tight have stood him in good stead.

Fans on the street, ranging from 20-something engineers to English Masters students to the 60-plus self-employed lot have expressed support for Dravid and his men.

Some of the fans at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium were backing the Pakistanis and applauded every time Wolves skipper Misbah-ul-Haq hit a six or a boundary.

The fifth edition of Champions League T20 is all set to start on Tuesday (September 17) with the qualifying rounds. The first game will be played between Faisalabad Wolves versus Otago Volts at Mohali. The main rounds will start from September 21 with Rajasthan Royals taking on Mumbai Indians in Jaipur.

Where hitters like MS Dhoni and Kieron Pollard are expected to shine, elder statesmen of the game like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid will play the Champions League T20 as their last and final hurrah in professional T20s.

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch and Lasith Malinga are expected to be missed the most during the fifth edition of the Champions League T20.

The current Pakistan Test and ODI captain Misbah-ul-Haq will be leading domestic T20 side Faisalabad Wolves in the Champions League T20 to be held in India in September. The Pakistanis will be among four teams playing a qualifying round to make the 10-team main draw