Somerset paceman Alfonso Thomas is relishing the chance to finally have a crack at Champions League glory.

The South African's home team, the Dolphins, qualified for the tournament last year when they were runners up in the Standard Bank Pro20.

But Thomas' hopes of appearing on a global stage were dashed by the terrorist attacks in Mumbai a few days before the event was due to start.

However, Somerset CCC's progress to the English Twenty20 Cup final in August ensured the 32-year-old seamer will get a second chance early next month.

He said: "First time around it didn't go to plan, and I always knew it was going to be a lot more difficult to make it over here, with 18 counties competing.

"It was a huge disappointment to miss out – a lot of the boys were really gutted because a few of them planned their weddings around it and were going to pay for it with the money they got for it.

"Playing against the best players in the world – (Adam) Gilchrist, (Andrew) Symonds, (Jacques) Kallis, (Mark) Boucher – I am definitely looking forward to that."

Somerset head to India this weekend and will play a warm-up against New Zealand side Otago a week today.

They also have two other friendlies against local sides before their tournament begins a week on Saturday against Deccan Chargers in their home ground, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, which has a capacity of 40,000. The Hyderabad-based side can call upon the likes of Gilchrist, Symonds, Herscelle Gibbs and VVS Laxman from their star-studded squad.

Thomas said: "I toured India in 2004 (with South Africa) and there was a Test match at Eden Gardens with 100,000 people in there, so hopefully the boys know what they are letting themselves in for."

Somerset played in front of 20,000 at Edgbaston in the domestic Twenty20 final when they lost to Sussex. Thomas added: "The final was a disappointment, but it was just one of those games. To be fair, Sussex played well. They had a bit of an advantage because they played in the first semi-final and could go back to the hotel and have a lie down, et cetera."

Somerset CCC need to win one of their two group games – the other is against Trinidad and Tobago – to progress to the next stage.

Somerset all-rounder Pete Trego has been named in the England squad for the Hong Kong Sixes tournament at the end of October.

England squad: Read (Nottinghamshire, captain), Dalrymple (Glamorgan), Stevens (Kent), Wagg (Derbyshire), Napier (Essex), Trego (Somerset), Hamilton-Brown (Sussex).