Middlesex believe they can still go to India - despite the horrendous carnage in Mumbai during the last week.

Chief executive Vinny Codrington expects his county's Champions League adventure to be rescheduled for early in the New Year - regardless of whether or not England return to India for the Test series.

The Middlesex supremo should have been watching his team open the inaugural staging of the world's richest tournament against Victoria in Mumbai today.

However, all such plans were scrapped, along with the last two games of England's one-day series with the Indians, in the wake of last week's shocking terrorist attacks in the city.

Doubts remained over whether Kevin Pietersen and his men would return to the sub-continent for the Test series due to start next Thursday.

But with no prospect of restaging the Champions League until the conclusion of the Australia versus South Africa Test series Down Under in January, Codrington feels it will give a volatile situation time to stabilise.

He said: "I don't think the decision reached over the Test matches will have a bearing on the Champions League because we are likely to be five or six weeks further on.

"In my heart of hearts, I will be disappointed if it doesn't happen, and I think there will be a momentum to see it staged."

Safety is at the heart of all these decisions, and something on which Codrington will take advice from the ECB.

And he confirmed the Seaxes will take the same line as the sport's governing body in leaving the decision on whether players travel down to the individuals themselves.

"We would adopt the same attitude as the ECB has with England in that we wouldn't force any player to travel against their will," he said.

If Codrington is right in his hunch, it would mean the reigning English Twenty20 Champions won't miss out on the most lucrative pay-day of their careers.

However, the 52-year-old feels all talk of finances is inappropriate set against the human tragedy which has taken place.

Even though Middlesex stand to make around £300,000 for just turning up, the CEO is adamant that's not at the forefront of his mind.

"I don't think the money we can earn is a concern at the moment when our thoughts are with friends over there who have lost people," he added.