The Chennai Super Kings have won the 2010 Champions League T20 tournament, and with that a winners prize of $2.5 million. Good money for two weeks work and when combined with winning the IPL earlier in the year, MSG Dhoni and his boys have had quite the lucrative year. With the amount of money in 20/20 cricket nowadays though, pretty much all the top talent is lapping up the dosh.

The modern game - a whole different shine.

Part and parcel of the modern era really, but just imagine you are a former great of the game and you just missed the dawn of the dollar. I’m talking about guys who were phenomenal in the 90’s, guys whose glittering careers came to an end just before fireworks greeted sixes and the rock and roll lifestyle formerly reserved for footballers, suddenly became attached to their yorkers. A few names come to mind who are worth highlighting – a few players whose dynamic talents and match winning abilities would have made them a fortune in the modern circus of the T20 cricket.

The playboy life - it's easier when you are rich.

Lance Klusener would be the first. Zulu was a machine during the 1999 World Cup and could finish a game with the bat in devastating style. He was pretty handy with the ball too and if put into an IPL auction back in his prime, those mega rich Indian franchises would be rushing for their rupees to sign the South African.

How every IPL team would have jumped at the chance to have this man in their colours.

If Lance was a man known for his devastation with the willow, then white lightening Allan Donald would have been just as instant a choice to spearhead any 20/20 attack. Apart from deepening the shade of the batsmen’s whites with his fiery pace, Allan was the ultimate fast bowler who adapted to any situation and would have taken the this format in his stride.

Another Citi moment of success - White Lightening would have made big bucks.

Speaking of this era you would also instantly throw Jonty Rhodes into the mix. Jonty, a more than handy middle order batsmen who didn’t hang around, could rely on his revolutionary fielding and general team buzz that he created to provide something special in every match. Let’s not forget Hansie Cronje either. Jokes aside, he could tear any attack apart with his batting, and his medium pacers and overall mastery of limited overs cricket would have made him a rock-solid pick to base any team around.

Fly Kingfisher ! Jonty would have had the Indian money men on cloud 9..

We could probably add a few more South Africans to the discussion but how about some other nationalities? Well let’s start with some Aussies. Michael Bevan was maybe not as swash buckling as Klusener, but probably more effective overall in limited overs cricket with an average well over 50 at the end of his career. Michael Slater would have been a shoe in for the role of a stand and deliver opening batsman and to go a little further back, Dean Jones would have been a prodigious prospect in the upper middle order.

A man for the show - Slats was made for the modern day fanfare.

Sub-continent countries also had some belter past options. The Taj Mahal itself would have been auctioned in order to secure the opening bowling duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. The former would have quite simply been the ultimate T20 player and kept just about any batsman honest with his scintillating pace and mesmerizing swing. He would have fielded slip for all 20 overs, but Inzaman-Ul-Haq would have been a great site in full form smashing bowlers to all parts of the ground. Aravinda Da Silva was the master of dominating an innings and upping the tempo too, what a shame he never got the chance to do it for the big bucks.

Just imagine what a prime time pair these two would be in the big leagues.

West Indian cricket may not have dominated the world of cricket in the modern era, but could you imagine Curtley Ambrose and Courtney Walsh steaming in with 70 000 screaming and shouting at Eden Gardens. Talk about marketability, these two would have but India into a complete spin, one which would have been heightened further with the mercurial Brian Lara smashing the white ball to all parts with style and flair that would have made 20/20 the real beautiful game.

Big Curtly would have brought the heat like no other.

Notable mentions also extend to Chris Cairns and Martin Crowe from New Zealand who did amazing things in often below par teams, but really this list could carry on for a while. I just hope these guys managed to become well off enough from the game of cricket in some way or another, because they were bloody brilliant and a lot more deserving of the big money than some of today’s players.

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