The European T20 Premier League (ETPL), Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned T20 franchise competition, has unveiled Indian cricket icon Rahul Dravid as owner of Dublin Guardians, finishing the league’s six-team franchise structure ahead of its much-anticipated 2026 premiere.
The announcement was made at a historic occasion in Dublin, where the occasion brought together franchise owners from throughout the league, including Vipul Aggarwal of the Glasgow franchise and Jonty Rhodes and Madhukar Shree of the Rotterdam franchise, as well as ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul, and Dhiraj Malhotra.
Senior leaders from European cricket were also in attendance, such as Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland; Sarah Keane, CEO of Cricket Ireland; Roland Lefebvre, Director of High Performance of Cricket Netherlands; and Trudy Lindblade, CEO of Cricket Scotland, highlighting the strong institutional backing and growing momentum behind Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 league.
ETPL, launched in collaboration with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, presents a first-of-its-kind cross-border franchise format with teams from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Designed for positioning Europe as cricket’s next major development frontier, the league also has long-term plans to expand into other markets as the sport’s popularity and participation grow throughout the continent.
The league is anticipated to involve international stars such as Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, Liam Livingstone, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, and others, providing a unique chance for emerging players from Europe and other Associate Nations to compete and share the dressing room with some of the biggest names in world cricket.
Abhishek Bachchan, Co-Founder of ETPL, said, “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. The response from the global cricketing community has been extremely encouraging. The coming together of icons like Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, Jonty Rhodes, Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, alongside Rahul Dravid reflects the belief in ETPL’s vision and reinforces Europe’s immense potential as cricket’s next major growth frontier.”
Rahul Dravid said, “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. Dublin already has a passionate cricketing community and enormous potential for growth. Nurturing the next generation has always been important to me, and I believe ETPL can play a meaningful role in that journey.”
Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, said, “This is a landmark moment for cricket in Ireland and for the wider European cricket ecosystem. ETPL has the potential to significantly elevate the visibility of cricket, participation growth and quality of cricket playing opportunities for our players across the region while strengthening pathways for future generations.”
Trudy Lindblade, CEO, Cricket Scotland, said, “ETPL has the potential to be a significant moment for cricket in Scotland and across Europe. Opportunities like this can help strengthen the sport’s ecosystem, create greater visibility for players, and inspire the next generation of cricketers across the region.”
