Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and former captain Steve Waugh are among the many franchise homeowners in a brand new European Twenty20 league, which is able to start in August after two false begins.
Backed by the cricket boards of Eire, Scotland and the Netherlands, and authorized by the governing Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC), the European T20 Premier League’s (ETPL) founders embody Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan.
“Mainland Europe shouldn’t be identified for cricket,” Bachchan informed Reuters from Sydney, the place they unveiled the homeowners of the three groups, together with the Amsterdam franchise owned by a bunch that features Waugh and Jamie Dwyer, a five-time Worldwide Hockey Federation participant of the 12 months.
“It’s a possibility to create an enormous cricket ecosystem in and round Europe. With ETPL, we hope we are able to carry the magic of cricket euphoria to mainland Europe.”
Maxwell is a co-owner of the Belfast franchise, whereas former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills purchased the Edinburgh aspect.
The ICC has 33 members in Europe, greater than any continent, together with full members England and Eire. Scotland and Netherlands have performed World Cups, whereas Italy will make their T20 World Cup debut subsequent month.
“Italy’s World Cup qualification signifies Europe’s curiosity in cricket, and cricket being within the 2028 Olympics is one other enhance for Europe,” Bachchan stated. “We hope to show ETPL into one of many prime T20 leagues on the planet.”
Waugh hoped the Amsterdam franchise would encourage extra children to take up the sport.
“Franchise cricket has the world’s finest gamers taking part in with locals,” the two-time World Cup winner informed Reuters.
“At Amsterdam, the Dutch gamers may have the chance to play alongside gamers like Mitchell Marsh, the present Australia T20 captain, or Steve Smith, considered one of the all-time greats of the sport. You possibly can’t purchase that form of expertise.”
Initially conceived as Euro T20 Slam, the league couldn’t take off in 2019 and its deliberate launch final 12 months was delayed for the second time.
Printed on Jan 21, 2026