KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Cricket hopes to know within the next month whether it will have a representative in the 2009 Twenty20 Champions League.
The answer could affect talks about a transtasman Twenty20 competition.
NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan described talks with his Australian counterparts as "pretty fluid" regarding a
showpiece T20 league involving the 12 major associations from both countries.
"The issue we have is for this to be truly successful, a real big-bang success in its first year, you've really got to have the best players available," Vaughan said.
With the Future Tours Programme jam-packed, the reality might be that the concept, almost certain to be a success with both fans and broadcasters, might not see the light of day until 2011 at the earliest.
Until then Vaughan's priority is to grow T20 domestically and get a team into the Champions League from next year.
"We're really wanting the domestic Twenty20 to be a success and hoping the New Zealand champions will go on and be represented at the Champions League event in 2009," Vaughan said.
There was some talk that Central Districts, T20 winners in the 2007-08 season, would attend the event. Because India's governing body, the BCCI, wanted to bar England's champions, Central Districts were effectively first reserve but a compromise was reached.
In December the two IPL finalists, plus two teams from Australia and South Africa, the English champions and Pakistan champions will meet in India for the inaugural Champions League.
"Next year there is a commitment to expand to 12 teams and we are hopeful of being included," Vaughan said.
There is a big incentive to play in the Champions League.
Broadcaster ESPN-Star has shelled out close to a US$1 billion for a 10-year exclusive telecasting and ground sponsorship deal, beating out a Sony Entertainment Television-Dubai Investment Council consortium and a bid from the Abu Dhabi Sports Club.
The bid included a commitment to spend US$75 million marketing the event. At a time when there is a global squeeze on advertising spending, it demonstrates how broadcasters value Twenty20. It comes on the heels of Sony paying close to US$1b for a 10-year rights deal for the IPL.
The money being thrown at the compact format even has Vaughan scratching his head.
"The amount makes it the most valuable cricket event in history which is extraordinary," Vaughan said. "It now rates as more valuable than the Cricket World Cup. I can't quite figure that."