Former India captain and World Cup-winning coach Rahul Dravid has been announced as the owner of the Dublin Guardians, one of the six teams set to participate in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL) in August 2026. The ETPL is being introduced as Europe’s first ICC-approved multi-nation franchise T20 competition. The tournament has been launched through a collaboration involving Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association.

Meanwhile, former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin will be leading the Dublin-based franchise. Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam and Amsterdam are the other franchises as the league aims to expand cricket’s footprint across Europe.

“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 in a release.

“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,” he added.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan is among the league’s co-owners, while several former and current international cricketers have also invested in teams. Notably, several international stars, including Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Mitchell Santner and Liam Livingstone, are also set to feature in the league.

ETPL's franchise ownership:

Dublin franchise - Rahul Dravid

Belfast franchise - Glenn Maxwell and Rohan Lund

Edinburgh franchise - Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum & 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