Piyush Chawla’s Rare Feat: Representing Sussex in the Champions League T20

Piyush Chawla is one of only two Indians to represent a non-Indian team in the Champions League T20!. He played for Sussex in 2009 after a strong county stint. A rare feat made possible by timing & a technical loophole!

Piyush Chawla (Image Source: Google)

Cricket Tales (Piyush Chawla: When He Played For a Foreign Team in the Champions League T20): Question: Who are the only two Indian cricketers to have represented a non-Indian side in the now-defunct Champions League T20?

This is a rather unusual record, given that the BCCI has a long-standing policy prohibiting Indian cricketers—whether centrally contracted or playing in the IPL—from participating in white-ball cricket for any foreign team. Yet, this exception occurred, and among the two cricketers who hold this rare distinction, one has recently retired.

This record is worth revisiting not only for its rarity but also in light of recent news suggesting that the Champions League T20 (CLT20) might be revived. With the growing popularity of franchise T20 leagues globally, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly considering launching a World Club Championship—a revamped version of the CLT20. The original CLT20 featured top domestic teams from Australia, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies. But that’s a story for another day.

Let’s turn our focus to former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who became one of the only Indian cricketers to play for a non-Indian team in the CLT20. He did so in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2009. How did this happen despite the BCCI’s strict policies? The story is quite fascinating.

Chawla played for multiple IPL franchises—Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Mumbai Indians. He was with Kings XI Punjab from 2008 to 2013. After IPL 2009, in June, Chawla received an unexpected offer from Sussex to play for them as a replacement for their overseas signing, Pakistan medium-pacer Yasir Arafat, until the end of the month.

At just 20 years old, Chawla signed up for his first county stint with Sussex, who were struggling in the Championship at the time. Although he couldn't prevent the team’s relegation, he made a strong impression. He smashed his maiden first-class century—102 off 86 balls*—against Worcestershire and later took 6 for 152 in the same match to help Sussex secure a 10-wicket win. He followed that with 11 wickets against Somerset and 9 against Yorkshire, finishing the stint with 36 first-class wickets at an average of 27.25.

Chawla also featured in a T20 match, where he took 2 for 14 in Sussex's win over Surrey. So impactful was his performance that Sussex intended to bring him back for the 2010 season.

Meanwhile, the schedule for the first CLT20—set to be played in India—was finalized. As expected, some players found themselves eligible to play for more than one qualifying team. The tournament’s rules allowed such players to represent only the team from the country they were internationally eligible for, unless another team paid a $200,000 compensation fee. Ultimately, the final decision rested with the player.

From India, Deccan Chargers, Delhi Daredevils, and Royal Challengers Bangalore had qualified—but Chawla wasn’t on the roster for any of them. On the other hand, Sussex Sharks had qualified as runners-up in England’s domestic T20 tournament. Given Chawla’s successful stint and his experience with Indian pitches, Sussex explored including him in their CLT20 squad.

The tournament committee allowed Sussex to register Chawla as a replacement for Yasir Arafat, who had joined the Pakistan national team by then. Although CLT20 rules permitted player choice, a key clause stated that if a player was associated with an IPL team, he would need to forfeit part of his salary to represent a foreign side. Since Chawla wasn’t on the books of any qualifying IPL team at that time, he was exempted from this clause, and Sussex successfully secured his services.

Sussex coach Mark Robinson remarked,
"Having PC (Piyush Chawla) in the side is an advantage. He can provide us with inside knowledge about Indian players and conditions. He can tell us about the dew factor in India."

Sussex were eyeing a potential $2.5 million jackpot at CLT20. However, the tournament's tight schedule meant that they had to win both their opening games in three days—or return home early. Sussex were drawn with New South Wales(Australia) and Diamond Eagles (South Africa). Ahead of that, they played warm-up matches against Wayamba (Sri Lanka) and Kolkata Knight Riders.

In their opening match, New South Wales defeated Sussex by 35 runs. Chawla bowled two overs for 1-21 and was dismissed for a golden duck. In the second match, Sussex tied with the Diamond Eagles, resulting in the first Super Overof the tournament. Chawla contributed 9 off 7 balls* and bowled economically for 2-17 in four overs, but Sussex lost the tie-breaker and were knocked out early. Fortunately, this also meant Chawla didn’t have to face any IPL side.

Sussex’s hopes of retaining Chawla for the 2010 season were dashed when the BCCI denied him permission to participate in county cricket again.