The International Cricket Council's mega-event which features the 10 Test-playing nations for the only time outside the World Cup starts in India on Saturday in a new, more competitive format.

The West Indies and Sri Lanka have been forced to play Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in a round-robin qualifying tournament after being ranked below the top six on the cut-off date of April 1.

The top two qualifiers will join Australia, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand and England in the main tournament which ends on November 5.

"I see it as a good way of going into the tournament," said West Indies captain Brian Lara, who considers qualifying matches as a blessing in disguise.

"Australia, England, and Pakistan will arrive for their first game, but we will already have had three games going in. That's a slight plus."

Sri Lanka, who take on Bangladesh in the first match in Mohali, also deserved better, judging by their recent results.

A 5-0 rout of England in July, followed by a world record total of 443-9 against the Netherlands and a 2-0 Test sweep at home against South Africa showed the prowess of Mahela Jayawardene's side.

The Sri Lankans have recovered from a humiliating 6-1 defeat in India last October and coach Tom Moody stressed the lessons of the past had been learnt well.

"A lot of water has gone down the bridge since that tour of India," said Moody, a two-time World Cup winner as a player with Australia in 1987 and 1999.

"We are now a better, stronger unit. A lot of young guys have come and done well in international cricket. There is a significant improvement, especially in fielding."

World champions Australia, who have never won the Champions Trophy despite back-to-back World Cup titles in 1999 and 2003, remain the team to beat.

"It's obviously one we want to win," said captain Ricky Ponting. "It is the second biggest one-day tournament in the world and it is one that has eluded Australia.

"We've played some good cricket in Indian conditions before so we can go there now with confidence."

Australia have been drawn with England, hosts India and the second qualifier in group A where two teams will advance to the semi-finals.

The other group features South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and the first qualifier.

The tournament will be a chance for the contenders to pit their might ahead of the World Cup to be played in the Caribbean in March-April.

England, who defend the Ashes in Australia less than three weeks after the Champions Trophy, will use the month-long event to test the fitness of key players, including captain Andrew Flintoff.

All-rounder Flintoff, who missed most of the English summer after a surgery on his left ankle, stressed he was fit and raring to go again.

"The 12-week rehab programme finishes in mid-October to coincide with the India trip," he said. "It's going well at the moment. Everything I've done has responded well to the operation."

South Africa, ranked second behind Australia, hope to use coach Mickey Arthur's pledge of playing "brave cricket" to win the tournament.

It was the "brave cricket" mantra that helped the Proteas score a then world record 438-9 to chase down a seemingly insurmountable Australian total at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in March.

Pakistan, a brilliantly talented but unpredictable side, are banking on pace spearhead Shoaib Akhtar and in-form batsman Mohammad Yousuf to win despite the absence of their banned captain Inzamamul Haq.

India are not to be discounted on home turf despite winning just one of their nine matches, while Stephen Fleming's New Zealand are always a force to reckon with.

SCHEDULE
Schedule of the 10-nation Champions Trophy limited-overs tournament which starts in India on Saturday (all matches begin at 2.30pm local time):

QUALIFYING ROUND
Oct 7: Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, Mohali
Oct 8: West Indies v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad
Oct 10: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad
Oct 11: West Indies v Bangladesh, Jaipur
Oct 13: Bangladesh v Zimbabwe, Jaipur
Oct 14: Sri Lanka v West Indies, Mumbai

Top two teams in round-robin league advance to the main tournament.

MAIN TOURNAMENT

GROUP A: Australia, India, England and Qualifier 2

GROUP B: South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and Qualifier 1

Oct 15: India v England, Jaipur
Oct 16: New Zealand v South Africa, Mumbai
Oct 17: Pakistan v Q1, Jaipur
Oct 18: Australia v Q2, Mumbai
Oct 20: New Zealand v Q1, Mumbai
Oct 21: Australia v England, Jaipur
Oct 24: South Africa v Q1, Ahmedabad
Oct 25: New Zealand v Pakistan, Mohali
Oct 26: India v Q2, Ahmedabad
Oct 27: Pakistan v South Africa, Mohali
Oct 28: England v Q2, Ahmedabad
Oct 29: India v Australia, Mohali
Nov 1: Semifinal A1 v B2, Mohali
Nov 2: Semifinal B1 v A2, Jaipur
Nov 5: Final, Mumbai