There's no fixture, no TV deal, no contracts and no tickets, but the organisers of the fledgling Canadian Twenty20 tournament earmarked for Steve Smith and David Warner's comeback say it will still go ahead.

Less than three weeks before the the Global T20 Canada is due to begin, staff are working "18 to 20 hours daily" as doubts emerge whether the associate nation will have enough time to pull the event together.

While Australian interest centres on exiled pair Smith and Warner, the tournament has also attracted some of the biggest international names in the game including Chris Gayle, Lasith Malinga and Andre Russell.

It's believed the highest paid players in the league, which had Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appear at a promotional event in Delhi this year, are commanding fees up to $100,000 for the 18-day long tournament on the outskirts of Toronto.

It's understood investors have tipped in between $10 million to $20 million to start the league, which is not expected to return a profit in year one.