I am happy that this time the Airtel Champions League T20 will have a new format.
It makes more sense to have the teams divided into two groups.
Last year we played just two games, won one and were knocked out on the basis of Net Run Rate. We never really had the chance to get into the tournament.
This time with a minimum of four matches all teams will get a better chance to find some rhythm and the fans will get to know more about the different teams.
No easy games
In a tournament like this you cannot expect any easy games. Cricket will be tough and we know we have to play really well to win.
But at the same time we are not afraid of the big names. We know that in T20 cricket any team can win on any given day. We have the self-belief to pull off some upsets and qualify for the later rounds.
Lot of people ask me how Muttiah Muralitharan will react in this CL T20 after his retirement from Tests. I am asked will he be hungry enough?
Well, to begin with he will be a lot fresher and a fresh Murali is an even bigger challenge. Hungry, I doubt. He can be hungrier — he's always hungry on the field and he'll also relish the challenge of playing against us, his Sri Lankan team-mates.
He is a real competitor and we are looking forward to playing against him. This will be a treat for the fans in South Africa.
They seemed to enjoy IPL-II and I would expect them to really get behind the South African teams in this tournament. They can also follow their own players in the IPL sides, especially Bangalore.
So it was a wise move to take the tournament to a new country and it will help the CL T20 to grow into an international tournament. I'd love to have seen more international teams in the tournament but then that is that.
Obviously it would be nice to have an English team or two but at the end of the day there are ten quality teams and many of the world's best players, so I don't think it will make much of a difference.
That is why I say that predicting a winner in a tournament like this will be extremely tough, only someone like Paul, the octopus, can do that.
