London: The Indian team, arrived here on Friday night to defend their World Twenty20 title. The defending champions were welcomed at Heathrow airport by ICC officials, media and Indian fans.

Proceeds from the June 3 India-Pakistan warm-up match before the World Twenty20 will go towards support for the families of Lahore terror attack victims and other charity works, the ICC said on Friday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's brilliant captaincy and Yuvraj Singh's aggression make defending champion India the "strongest contender" to lift the Twenty20 World Championship title in England, feels former coach and Australian captain Greg Chappell.

The Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Indian team left for London on Friday morning to defend their World Twenty20 title.

India may lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy at Centurion on September 26, according to the tentative itinerary for the tournament to be announced soon.

Though the International Cricket Council (ICC) has barred Pakistan from hosting matches in the 2011 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision to put on hold its legal action against the world body has opened a window of hope.

Former captain Sachin Tendulkar has thrown his support behind India, saying that they are 'well balanced' and will go on to retain their ICC World Twenty20 crown in England next month.

The 2011 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is expected to cost between $40 and 50 million.

Kolkata Knight Riders pacer Ishant Sharma on Wednesday refused to blame captain Brendon McCullum or coach John Buchanan for their IPL debacle and said the fact was that the team failed to deliver as a unit.

Statistically, Yusuf Pathan didn’t quite dominate the IPL this time around, but he did enough to enhance his reputation as a fierce hitter who can chase down any target and create panic in the rival ranks.