In view of the terror attacks in Mumbai, India's Champions League cricket tournament has been postponed. Teams from Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan, along with the hosts India, were to take part in the inaugural edition of the showbiz event from

December 3-10. Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai were the three venues. Lalit Modi, chairman of the Champions League board stated, "We couldn't get a third venue to replace Mumbai at such short notice." The teams were to stay at the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, one of the chief targets of Wednesday's attack.

The officials of the Champions League 20-20 Organising Committee were in a state of shock as they were in the hotels Taj Mahal Palace and Trident Oberoi, which were seized by the terrorists on Wednesday night. The officials were safely evacuated from the building, but not before they had a brush with death.

Javed Akhtar, a spokesman for the tournament said that new dates shall be decided at the December meeting, adding "It all depends on which teams are free and which teams are available. There are so many permutations."

Along with Middlesex, two teams from Australia, two from South Africa and one from Pakistan had been due to take part.

They would have joined the Indian Premier League champions, Rajasthan, and runners-up Chennai in an eight-nation Twenty20 Tournamentt, with the final on 10 December.