The inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL) commenced in Voorburg with the Dutch derby between Rotterdam Dockers and Amsterdam Flames on August 27. The league’s co-owner, Abhishek Bachchan, spoke on JioHotstar about his commitment to establishing a competitive T20 cricket league in Europe.
Bachchan acknowledged the support of his co-founders, team members, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) in developing the league over the past three years. He expressed satisfaction with the league’s strong start, commending the venue, the enthusiastic crowd, and the opportunity to witness the performances of the remaining teams.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stay connected
Make The News Mill your preferred TNM on Google
“Nothing worth doing is going to be easy. But you have to believe in your dream, and you have to believe in the reasons why you started it. It’s been three years since the inception of this seed of an idea, and my eternal thanks to the team that’s worked with me, to my co-founders, and to the ICC for the kind of faith they’ve bestowed in us,” Bachchan said. “We were very, very concerned about the fact that we wanted to put across a very competitive and very credible league. I’d like to believe that we’ve made a good and auspicious start. It’s wonderful to be here. It’s a beautiful ground, the crowd has been great, and I can’t wait to see all the rest of the teams perform.”
Bachchan also conveyed feelings of relief and happiness
Bachchan also conveyed feelings of relief and happiness following the league’s successful debut. He described the vibrant atmosphere as the fulfilment of their ambition to introduce world-class cricket to Europe.
“I’m pleased. I’m relieved. We were relieved after the first ball went for runs. Seeing the atmosphere, that’s exactly what we dreamt of, to bring competitive, world-class cricket to Europe, and here we are on the first day. Proof of concept, here we are, the first ball has been bowled, and everybody’s very, very happy, back home and over here as well. Upward and onwards, we hope to build from this,” he added.
The ETPL’s opening match saw Rotterdam Dockers complete a composed chase at Sportpark Westvliet to defeat Amsterdam Flames by five wickets, marking an impressive start to the new competition and the Dutch derby rivalry.
Source: thenewsmill.com
