The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) have confirmed that Indian cricket icon Rahul Dravid as owner of Dublin Guardians, completing the league's six-team franchise structure ahead of the 2026 launch.
An event in Dublin on Monday brought together franchise owners from across the league, including Chris Gayle and Vipul Aggarwal of Glasgow Franchise, and Jonty Rhodes and Madhukar Shree of Rotterdam Franchise, alongside ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra.
Launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, ETPL introduces a first-of-its-kind cross-border franchise model featuring teams from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Designed to position Europe as cricket's next major growth frontier, the league also has long-term ambitions to expand across new markets as the sport’s popularity and participation continue to rise throughout the continent.
The league is expected to feature international stars including Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, Liam Livingstone, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen among others, creating a unique opportunity 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.
Former India captain 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, added: "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."
