Twenty20 / Ed Hawkins / 07 October 2009 / Leave a comment

The best Twenty20 sides in the world meet in India in the inaugural tournament and Ed Hawkins says it will be the team who sticks together will be victorious

It's the Champions League. But not as we know it. Cricket has pinched the moniker synonymous with brilliance, bravado and 'the best' as the top Twenty20 sides from the world gather in India for the inaugural tournament. Yet Barcelona versus Manchester United it is not. Somerset versus Trinidad does not quite have the same ring to it.

Indeed, players from those two teams, as well as Sussex, New Zealand's Otago and Wayamba, the Sri Lanka champs, can be forgiven for feeling a little bewildered after leaving the sanctity of their parishes. For a start they will have to comprehend what it is like to play with the cacophony of thousands of locals ringing in their ears. Hove on a Tuesday night is a bit quieter.

If it is daunting for the players, then likewise for punters. Initially at least. The 12 teams are split into four groups with the top two progressing to two further sections and then the best two going through to the semi-finals, smacks of asking the golden goose to put in a double shift.

The presence of IPL champions Deccan [7.60], runners-up Bangalore [8.20] and best losers, Delhi, who are actually the favourites on the Betfair market at [6.80], remind us how to make tournaments like this pay.

The IPL has twice been won by not the most talented team but the one which bonds best. Remember Rajasthan in year one? Deccan eschewed the infighting that year to win this time around thanks to the love-in created by Adam Gilchrist. That's no help you may cry because the players in the teams outside the IPL know each other like golden anniversary couples. Teams like Sussex, Somerset and Otago should hold fast like super glue. We wouldn't recommend backing those sides because they may find turning wickets alien. Likewise for the two South Africa teams, Eagles and Cobras. But we can deduce two things from deciding harmony is king.

They are that Delhi are a bad bet and Wayamba, [16.00] might be the the trade wager. Delhi have suffered with in-fighting and while a top order of Virender Sehwag, who refused the captaincy, Gautam Gambhir and Tillakaratne Dilshan excites, they lack power players lower down.

Wayamba, written off for being unknown and because they sound like something a Geordie might say at traffic lights, would be the most unfashionable winners, much like Rajasthan in IPL. They have a brilliant spinner in Ajantha Mendis, experience in Mahela Jayawardene and nine other internationals to call on. See, I bet you didn't know that?

Sadly they have a tough group to get out of, paired with Delhi and Victoria. The Australia runners-up are strong contenders themselves and look to be better equipped than the side that beat them in the domestic final, New South Wales.

You just know that the Australians will relish this. And there are few tougher outfits than a Victorian one when there is a suggestion they are underdogs. At [9.20] they are worth an interest, particularly boasting Brad Hodge and David Hussey, the top two runscorers in Twenty20.

Victoria also have the best win percentage in Twenty20 matches. From 20 games they have an 80% success rate. Here are the figures for the other teams with games played in brackets: 84 Wayamba (13), 66 Trinidad (12), 58 Delhi (29), 56 Cobras (39), 54 Somerset (55), 52 Otago (19), 50 Eagles (42), 45 Sussex (55), 44 NSW (18), 43 Bangalore (30), 36 Deccan (30).

Some of those numbers may surprise but that is Twenty20 for you. Be surprised also, however, if there is not an IPL side in the final. The games are being played at their three 'home' grounds.

Tags: Ajantha Mendis, Champions League cricket betting, Champions League cricket preview, Champions League cricket teams, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, Gautam Gambhir, IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virender Sehwag, Virender Sehwag captaincy