Stallions first Pak team to play in CL20

Johannesburg: Sialkot Stallions will be the first Pakistan team to compete at the Champions League Twenty20 when the cricket tournament returns to South Africa in October.

Organizers say on Tuesday that the Pakistan domestic T20 champions will join teams from the host country, India, England, Australia, West Indies, New Zealand and Sri Lanka at the competition, which runs Oct. 9-28.

It's the second time the tournament has been played in South Africa. Games will be staged in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Centurion, near Pretoria.

Sialkot Stallions will be the first Pakistan team to compete at the Champions League Twenty20.

Mumbai Indians will defend their title despite not finishing in the top three at the Indian Premier League, while Australia's Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers also have qualified. The winner and runner-up of England's domestic T20 competition, which ends in August, will both earn places.

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