Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will meet Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening group match of the 2014 Champions League Twenty20 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad on September 17.
KKR had won the IPL in 2012 and 2014 while CSK is winner of the IPL in 2010 and 2011 and CLT20 in 2010. Bangalore will host the final on October 4.
According to a press release from the BCCI, Bangalore, Raipur, Mohali and Hyderabad will host the sixth edition of the competition from September 13, 2014 to October 4, 2014. The tournament will have a Group stage to be preceded by a Qualifier. In all, 29 matches will be played.
Group ‘A’ will have KKR, CSK, Dolphins (winner of South Africa’s domestic T20 competition), Perth Scorchers (Big Bash League winner) and a team from the Qualifier. Group ‘B’ will consist Hobart Hurricanes (Big Bash League runner-up), the winner of the domestic T20 competition in the West Indies, Kings XI Punjab (runner-up in IPL 2014), Cape Cobras (runner-up in South Africa’s domestic T20 competition) and a Qualifier.
Each side will play the other four in its group once, with the top two sides from each group going through to the semifinals. The Qualifiers, to be hosted by Raipur, will feature Mumbai Indians, Northern Knights (winner of New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition), Southern Express (winner of Sri Lanka’s domestic T20 tournament) and Lahore Lions (Pakistan’s domestic T20 competition champion).