Rajasthan and Middlesex to play charity game

Rajasthan Royals and Middlesex, the IPL and English Twenty20 champions respectively, will face off for the British Asian Cup on July 6 at Lord's in what will be the first of an annual charity series to be played between the Twenty20 champions of the two countries. From next year the fixture will be played as a best-of-three series.

The two teams would have originally met in the Champions League scheduled for October 2008 but that was called off because of security concerns in India. A portion of the proceeds from the game will go to the British Asian Trust, a Prince of Wales charity.

Middlesex will be led by Shaun Udal and will include IPL players Tyron Henderson, Owais Shah and Murali Kartik. Henderson plays for Rajasthan but will turn out for Middlesex in the charity game. Rajasthan's side will include captain Shane Warne, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Kamran Akmal, and Yusuf Pathan.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the series was another milestone in the IPL's international development. "We have shown this year that the IPL truly has global appeal, and for one of our teams to be playing at the 'home of cricket' in front of the wonderfully passionate British fans is very exciting. Moreover, we have a serious commitment to charity, and the association with the British Asian Trust is most welcome."