After a whirlwind 15 days and 23 matches in the Champions League, we can finally pop the question: so how was it for you?

Too loud? Did you switch off as soon as Ravi Shastri bellowed at the very first toss and the stadium announcer was heard trying to gee up the crowd a little too desperately?

Or did you sit back, take the hype with a pinch of salt and enjoy the spectacle of cricket's first international club competition?

There's no doubt that twenty20 doesn't do itself a favour by going overboard in its self-promotion, and some of the DJs at the three grounds produced some first-class cringeworthy moments, but once you're able to look past that there's no arguing that this tournament has produced some excellent matches and thrown up its fair share of surprises.

Despite their defeat in the final Trinidad and Tobago were the obvious drawcard, while the number of youngsters unearthed as they played against quality opposition also helped the Champions League's appeal. Then there were some wonderful moments, like watching Ross Taylor receiving a hero's welcome from tens of thousands of Bangaloreans and Glenn McGrath returning to competitive cricket in Delhi.

Simon Katich and his New South Wales Blues team had barely started celebrating when the first report labelling the Champions League a television ratings flop came out, but it failed to mention that the tournament averaged more or less the same number of viewers as the Champions Trophy - an established one-day competition.

In many ways it's been a strange thing to witness, with cricket fans in India and perhaps worldwide slightly flummoxed by the new concept. It's taken some getting used to, and just how successful its been may only be appreciated in years to come.

But love it or hate it, examination of the numbers reveals that the Champions League is undoubtedly here to stay.

With television rights amounting to US$97.5million per year and title sponsorship adding around $7million to that figure, the tournament has guaranteed massive profits for its three founding members - the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa. It's a huge amount of money, and with those profits filtering into domestic structures the tournament has proved a massive fillip for cricket.

The Cape Cobras alone have confirmed a net profit from the tournament of R2.5million - around five times what they would receive for winning a domestic competition in South Africa.

If all of this new money is used wisely it will spread the game and improve facilities and coaching, allowing players to continually reach new levels.

Twenty20 is not everyone's cup of tea, but it deserves our attention because it has shown its ability to improve cricket through extra finance and increased exposure for a number of cricketers who would not otherwise have had the opportunity.

This being the case, the Champions League is worthy of its place in the cricket calendar because it showcases the best T20 teams from around the world, and it does so over a manageable space of time.

But seriously, how was it for you?