Dravid excited about CL T20 challenge by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	RS Dravid
Event:	Champions League 2009/10

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DateLine: 7th October 2009

 

Royal Challengers star batsman Rahul Dravid is excited by the multi-national aspect of the inaugural CL T20 tournament.

 

The Bangalore side, finalists in the IPL this year, take on South Africa's domestic T20 champions Cape Cobras in the opening encounter of the tournament, the launch of which was pushed back by a year because of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai last November.

 

Dravid believes the attractiveness of the Airtel Champions League lies in the challenge of the unknown and a rivalry with strangers.

 

"The challenge of the Airtel Champions League is that players come together from different parts of the world just a few days ahead of the tournament," the Rahul Dravid said.

 

"Most of the teams have not played each other and the unknown factor is high. It is a challenge but it is also exciting to be up against players you have never played before."

 

IPL champions Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils are the other two India-based teams in the tournament, which also features South Africa's Diamond Eagles, English county sides Somerset and Sussex, Australia's Pura Cup rivals New South Wales Blues and Victoria Bushrangers and a team each from the West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.