The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) has brought on board former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid as the owner of its Dublin franchise, completing the six-team structure of the league ahead of its planned 2026 debut.
The announcement was made at a launch event in Dublin on Monday, marking another step in the creation of Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 competition.
The Dublin team, named Dublin Guardians, joins franchises based in Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam and Rotterdam as part of the league’s inaugural line-up.
The league, launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, is positioning itself as a gateway for cricket’s expansion across Europe.
The event was attended by ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra, along with franchise stakeholders including Jonty Rhodes and Madhukar Shree of the Rotterdam franchise, and Vipul Aggarwal of the Glasgow franchise.
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Senior officials from European cricket bodies, including Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice, Cricket Ireland CEO Sarah Keane, Cricket Netherlands high-performance director Roland Lefebvre and Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade, were also present.
Speaking at the launch, Bachchan said the involvement of figures like Dravid reflected confidence in the league’s long-term vision.
“For ETPL, having legends like Rahul associated with this journey is incredibly special because our vision goes beyond building a league, it is about creating a platform that can inspire and nurture the next generation of talent emerging from Irish and broader European cricket ecosystem,” Bachchan said.
He added that the participation of names such as Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, Rhodes, Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaasen underlined Europe’s potential as cricket’s next growth market.
Dravid said the league’s focus on grassroots development and player pathways was a key reason behind his association with the project.
“What attracted me to ETPL was the larger vision behind it, the opportunity to help grow cricket in Europe by strengthening grassroots development and creating pathways for emerging talent across Ireland and Europe,” Dravid said.
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“Dublin already has a passionate cricketing community and enormous potential for growth.”
The league is expected to feature international players including Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, Liam Livingstone, Maxwell, du Plessis and Klaasen, among others.
ETPL said the tournament aims to create opportunities for emerging players from Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and other Associate nations to compete alongside established international stars.
The franchise ownership structure includes:
Dublin – Rahul Dravid
Belfast – Glenn Maxwell and Rohan Lund
Edinburgh – Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum and Rachel Wiseman
Glasgow – Vipul Aggarwal and Chris Gayle
Amsterdam – Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer and Tim Thomas
Rotterdam – Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, Glashin and Samir Shah, with Madhukar Shree as managing partner.
