Daijiworld Media Network – Dublin
Dublin, May 12: Former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid was on Monday announced as the owner of Dublin Guardians ahead of the inaugural edition of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL).
The announcement was made during a landmark event where the six-team franchise line-up for the new league was officially unveiled.
Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is set to captain the Dublin Guardians, who will compete against franchises representing Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Speaking after the announcement, Dravid said the vision of developing cricket in Europe motivated him to associate with the tournament.
“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.
He further added that Dublin already possesses a strong cricketing culture with significant potential for future growth.
“Nurturing the next generation has always been important to me, and I believe ETPL can play a meaningful role in that journey,” he said.
The event was attended by several prominent personalities from the cricketing world, including former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, former West Indies batter Chris Gayle, and ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra.
Senior officials from European cricket bodies were also present, including Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice, Cricket Ireland CEO Sarah Keane, Cricket Netherlands High Performance Director Roland Lefebvre and Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade.
The ETPL has been launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association. The tournament introduces a cross-border franchise-based T20 model featuring teams from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
The league is expected to feature several international cricket stars including Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Mitchell Santner, Faf du Plessis and Heinrich Klaasen.
The inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League is scheduled to be held from August 26 to September 20.
ETPL franchise owners:
• Dublin Guardians – Rahul Dravid
• Belfast franchise – Glenn Maxwell and Rohan Lund
• Edinburgh franchise – Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum and Rachel Wiseman
• Glasgow franchise – Vipul Aggarwal and Chris Gayle
• Amsterdam franchise – Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer and Tim Thomas
• Rotterdam franchise – Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, Glashin and Samir Shah, with Madhukar Shree as Managing Partner