ETPL announces star-studded ownership ahead of inaugural ICC-Sanctioned season
The long-awaited European T20 Premier League (ETPL) is very likely to kick off this year, with the organisers bringing in Steve Waugh and Glenn Maxwell as the franchise owners, among others. The six-team league, set to start around August 26, will include former New Zealand players Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum among the owners. The retired Australian and New Zealand players took the stage as ETPL franchise owners in Sydney on Tuesday.
Abhishek Bachchan builds buzz ahead of ETPL launch
“You know, it feels like August 26 is right around the corner. That’s when the ETPL is going to take off. We are here in Sydney to announce the first three teams, which are Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh,” league owner Abhishek Bachchan told Cricbuzz from Australia.
“Later next month, we will be able to announce the next three teams. We have been working towards it for the last two years and are very excited that it has all come together just as planned.”
ETPL confirms star ownership for opening teams
The ETPL has made an official announcement regarding the owners of its first three franchises, which means that the big names in cricket have been brought on board. The Amsterdam team will be managed by Steve Waugh, James Dwyer, and Tim Thomas, while Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills will be the head coaches for Edinburgh. Belfast is getting a high-profile boost as Glenn Maxwell collaborates with Rohan Lund, with further strategic partners being revealed shortly. The first season is turning out to be thrilling.
Waugh aims to promote standards and spirit of cricket across Europe
“I’ve always been selective about where I invest my time and energy in cricket. Franchise cricket has expanded quickly, but this opportunity stood out because it is driven by aspiration and long-term thinking. In many ways, it marks a return to the game for me – but in a very different role. This is about helping uphold the standards and spirit of cricket while supporting its growth into Europe, which remains the game’s last great frontier,” Waugh said.
Maxwell set to head Irish Wolves in ETPL inaugural season
Maxwell said he is excited to be part of an Irish franchise. “I am thrilled to be involved with the Irish Wolves, where we will build a culture of fun, family and playing without fear. The Irish people love their sport and Cricket Ireland have made huge strides in expanding the game over the last two decades. The Wolves and the European T20 Premier League will accelerate that growth and I feel super proud to be leading the franchise in its inaugural year,” Maxwell, known as the Big Show, said.
League owner confirms salary cap and broadcast plans in final stages
The scheduling of August-September implies that the league will have a small overlap with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) but at the same time will not come in conflict with The Hundred in England and Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA. Bachchan mentioned that the organizers were in the process of finalizing the particulars of the salary cap and the broadcast timings.
“The salary cap is in the final stages and will be announced once all six teams are on board. We are negotiating that with all six teams to reach a consensus,” the league owner said.
ICC-approved ETPL to feature six teams across multiple countries
ETPL is a franchise league that is multi-country, global and sanctioned by ICC, supported by the cricket boards of the Netherlands (KNCB), Ireland (CI), and Scotland (CS). The league will consist of six teams and a total of 34 matches. Initially, ETPL was set to start in the previous year, but it got delayed by one more year.