India cricket legend Rahul Dravid has been unveiled as the owner of the Dublin franchise, to be known as the Dublin Guardians, in the newly formed European T20 Premier League (ETPL), completing the league’s six-team structure ahead of its planned first fixtures in August and September 2026.
Dravid is one of the greatest players in the game and an inductee to the ICC Hall of Fame. One of the highest scoring batsmen in Test Cricket he has been Captain and Head Coach of the Indian National Team.
The announcement was made at a launch event in Dublin on Monday, bringing together franchise owners, league executives and senior cricket administrators from across Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands as Europe prepares for its first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 competition.
Dravid’s arrival adds further international profile to a league that is positioning itself as a new growth platform for cricket across Europe. The ETPL is being launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, and will feature franchises based in Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
The Dublin launch event included ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra, alongside franchise investors and cricket figures including Chris Gayle, Jonty Rhodes and representatives from the Glasgow and Rotterdam franchises. Kevin O’Brien, coach of the Belfast franchise was also present.
Senior officials from across European cricket were also present, including Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, Sarah Keane, CEO of Cricket Ireland, Roland Lefebvre, Director of High Performance at Cricket Netherlands, and Trudy Lindblade, CEO of Cricket Scotland.
The ETPL hopes to capitalise on cricket’s growing popularity across Europe through a cross-border franchise model designed to develop both elite competition and player pathways in emerging cricket markets.
Speaking at the event, Bachchan said the involvement of figures such as Dravid reflected growing belief in the project.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
Dravid said the league’s long-term development ambitions were a key factor in his involvement.
“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,” said Dravid.
“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.”
Organisers believe the competition can provide emerging players from Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands and other Associate Nations with opportunities to compete alongside established international stars.
Brian MacNeice described the launch as an important development for cricket in Ireland and across the region.
“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,” he said.
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Image Credit: ICC
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