Organisers of the Airtel Champions League will decide on whether Keiron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo are eligible to play in the play-off series that involves Trinidad and Tobago and three other T20 teams from India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Chairman of the national cricket selection panel Dudnath Ramkesoon said yesterday that although the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) has not received any confirmation that this country will have to endure the play-offs, they are putting things in place. "We have heard rumours that Trinidad and Tobago will have to enter into a play-off in order to get into the Champions League. There is no automatic qualification anymore for us but they are yet to confirm this to us." The national team was in training yesterday at the National Cricket Centre (NCC) gearing up for the upcoming trial matches. It is understood that after Guyana's poor performance at the last Champions League, T&T the Caribbean's representative this time around, has to enter a play-off in order to qualify for the finals of the tournament.
They will have to battle the Sri Lankan winners, the champions from New Zealand and the 4th place finisher in the recent IPL tournament. Ramkessoon added that the TTCB needs to find out whether T&T will have to take part in the play-offs and if whether Keiron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo can play in the tournament. "The TTCB has written the Champions League officials and are awaiting a reply from them on how to proceed as far as Pollard and Bravo are concerned. Both Pollard and Bravo took part in the Indian Premier League and their teams are already into the Champions League finals. "However, both Bravo and Pollard did not play for T&T in the Caribbean tournament and we need to find out if they will be allowed to line-up for us. We are awaiting a response from them and will then take it from there."