A Final in Dublin on the third Sunday in September…It’s certainly not Gaelic football any more – and some might say ‘It’s just not cricket!’
Or, perhaps, it’s not just cricket.
Add into the mind-boggling mix that the first meeting of Irish sides Belfast Wolves and Dublin Guardians – nope, me neither – will take place in the Netherlands and it’s clear that this is a whole new ball game.
The inaugural showdown between the two Irish teams will be the second match of the ambitious new European T20 Premier League, in the Dutch coastal area of Voorburg – a suburb of The Hague, on Thursday.
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The innovative tournament, which also involves the Scottish cricket board, begins on Wednesday evening with the all-Dutch clash of Amsterdam Flames and Rotterdam Dockers.
As much as I love wolves, the name of the Belfast franchise has to take at least second billing, perhaps third, to those of the Scottish sides: the brilliantly-named Edinburgh Castle Rockers and the bizarre Glasgow Cosmic.
Those two also clash in Voorburg on Thursday, in the afternoon after the conclusion of the all-Irish contest.
Yet if you think this is small beer, involving only those minor European cricketing nations, you’d be wrong.
How about these for names of those involved in this project?: Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Jonty Rhodes, and Matthew Hayden, among others.
Players will include Australians Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh, Ravichandran Ashwin of India, plus recent England international Liam Livingstone.
When Ireland and Bangladesh met last November in the latter’s capital city of Dhaka, the third day of their test was interrupted by a literal earthquake.
That appears to have been an omen, as this year both countries have produced ground-breaking results: Ireland men at last beat India while Bangladesh won a test in Australia.
Amsterdam Flames co-owner Steve Waugh commented on those Irish wins, and predicts that the ETPL will be a catalyst in the growth of the players from the three European countries:
“We’ve just seen how strong European cricket is. Ireland beating the world champions, India, 2-0 in a T20I series shows the potential for cricket in Europe.
“There are some excellent players in the Netherlands, Scotland, and Ireland and they’ll showcase their skills in this league alongside world-class players.
“I know our side has Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, and Tim David. They’re world-class players, and they’re going to be rubbing shoulders with these guys for five to six weeks.
“They’re going to fast-track their development through the knowledge they gain, their mental application, and the way they go about things.
“This will be the best thing that has ever happened to European cricket, and it’ll be fantastic for the players, the supporters, and cricket in Europe.”
Cricket is clearly changing and Ireland, the Netherlands, and Scotland are determined to keep on improving.
As anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Irish sport knows, cricket used to be much more popular, especially in what’s now the hurling stronghold of Kilkenny.
However, since the advent of the GAA from 1884 onwards and the growth of both soccer and rugby football, the sound of leather on willow has been heard far less on this island than it once was.
The Irish climate never helped, and even global warming could lead to cracked tracks and/or flooded outfields as we get hotter, drier summers but windier, wetter other seasons.
Cricket Ireland has been doing great work, though.
Its chief executive Sarah Keane was insistent in June that the planned new cricket stadium at Abbotstown, Dublin is “on track” to be ready for the 2030 men’s T20 World Cup.
That ground could have a spectator capacity of 12,000, with permanent seating for 4,240 fans.
In addition, the Irish government has contributed €3.5 million to the redevelopment of cricket facilities on the Stormont Estate in Belfast, one of the proposed locations for games in that men’s tournament in 2030, which is being jointly hosted by Ireland and the UK.
For now, though, the focus is on Voorburg, then back to Malahide next month, for the inaugural European T20 Premier League.
Belfast Wolves co-owner Glenn Maxwell spoke about what success for the league in its inaugural edition would mean:
“It will probably be the growth of the local players. The local talent will be able to learn and grow from the amazing overseas talent and the world-class names littered throughout the teams in the league.
“It’s hard not to pick up tips that can help improve your game in a competition like this. We’ve seen it all around the world, when a T20 league comes to a country or a region, cricket goes from strength to strength.
“That’s certainly the aim with this competition as well, for these three countries to grow and develop as the tournament gets bigger and bigger.”
Leading the group of Amsterdam owners is none other than cricket legend Steve Waugh, the former Australian captain and World Cup-winning leader.
Alongside ‘Tugga’ will be Australian hockey great Jamie Dwyer, five-time World Player of the Year and Olympic gold medallist, and Tim Thomas, former CEO of the Centre for Australia-India Relations and former Partner at KPMG Australia.
The Belfast-based franchise is owned by the Floodlight Capital Consortium, with Glenn Maxwell as the co-owner. Nicknamed, ‘The Big Show’, Maxwell will also captain the Wolves.
Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid acquired the Dublin franchise. The former captain of his country scored more than 24,000 runs in international cricket, showing his status by earning two nicknames – ‘Mr Dependable’ and ‘The Wall’.
Dravid won the ICC Champions Trophy as a player in 2002, then guided India to victory in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup as head coach.
The Edinburgh franchise’s backers are both former New Zealand internationals: Nathan McCullum, now a high-performance cricket coach and the older brother of England coach Brendon, plus Kyle Mills, former Kiwi and one-time former ICC No.1 ODI bowler.
The Glasgow franchise co-owner is Matthew Hayden, in partnership with the Mugafi Group. Hayden will also occupy the role of team’s head coach, bringing significant visibility, technical nous and experience. Mugafi Group’s chairman is Vipul Agarwal, alongside co-owner Tansha Batra.
Rotterdam’s franchise was purchased by South African cricketing giants including Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes, and Heinrich Klaasen. They are accompanied by Bollywood superstar John Abraham, all coming in as co-owners, while Madhukar Shree joins as Managing Partner.
Du Plessis will captain the side, providing continuity between ownership and on-field leadership. Klaasen, one of the most in-demand players in T20 cricket, strengthens the squad’s core.
Each squad is 17-strong. Belfast Wolves include six Irishmen, among them Paul Stirling and wicket-keeper Lorcan Tucker.
Co-owner ‘The Big Show’ Glenn Maxwell is the main man, but the northern Irish side will also look to batsmen David Miller and Tim Tector – the former South African, the latter from Dublin.
Tector’s brother Harry is involved with Dublin Guardians, as are four other fellow Irishmen, including George Dockrell.
The Dubliners’ star name is Ravichandran Ashwin, the Indian spin bowler. Now 39, he helped his nation win the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy two years later.
The Chennai native is one of only three players ever to take 500 Test wickets and score 3000 Test runs, ending with 536 (avg. 23.95) and 3474 (avg. 25.92) respectively from 105 matches.
Former Australia captain Steve Smith is in the Amsterdam squad, along with current Aussie T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh and another fellow countryman, powerful batter Tim David. Also there is former India captain Ajinkya Rahane.
The Southern African influence on Rotterdam extends beyond du Plessis and Klaasen to Namibian all-rounder David Wiese – and there’s the unusual inclusion of a Nepali, bowler Sandeep Lamichhane.
Glasgow include seven Scots in their squad, but also two who have represented England – recent international all-rounder Liam Livingstone and the South African-born Jason Roy.
The first set of 17 matches will all take place in Voorburg, the
Netherlands, over a 12-day period, from Wednesday August 26 to Sunday September 6, with a rest day for all on Monday August 31.
After two travel days of Monday September 7 and Tuesday September 8, the tournament will resume in Ireland – at Malahide, north county Dublin – on Wednesday September 9, running up to the final on Sunday September 20.
There will be 13 matches in all at Malahide, with another rest day on Monday September 14.
That schedule means 10 matches for each time, with the Irish sides playing five on this island, whereas the Dutch and Scottish teams will have six games each in the Netherlands.
The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) is a new franchise-based tournament sanctioned by the International Cricket Council, created to establish Europe as a dynamic force in the global T20 landscape.
Renowned Indian actor, film producer, and sports entrepreneur, Abhishek Bachchan is a co-owner, along with Rules Sport Tech – an Indian private sports company.
The league was co-founded by Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul, and Dhiraj Malhotra.
Bachchan is an actor and entrepreneur with a variety of business interests, including sports franchises, tech start-ups, and endorsements.
Co-owner of the Indian Super League football club, Chennaiyin FC, he has actively promoted sports in India, also owning teams in the Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Street Premier League.
Banerjee is a seasoned venture capitalist and partner at the US-based firm One Alpha North Capital. Previously he held key roles as Co-CEO and CFO at NDTV (India’s leading media group) and has served on the boards of several leading media and technology companies.
A chartered accountant who began his career with PwC in global capital markets, Banerjee brings more than two decades of leadership at the intersection of media, technology, and entertainment, with a unique blend of strategic vision and operational expertise.
Priyanka Kaul is a media entrepreneur and business leader with more than 25 years of experience across media, marketing, events and sport.
Over the course of her career she has held several senior leadership positions, including that of CEO of Forbes India, President of Marketing and Special Projects at Network18, and Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer, NDTV and President, Special Projects at NDTV.
Kaul is passionate about using sport as a platform to strengthen global connections and elevate India’s presence on the world stage.
Dhiraj Malhotra has more than 24 years of experience in sports administration, having worked with the ICC, WMG, and IMG. He joined the IPL as Tournament Director in 2008 and helped set it up.
Malhotra was also Tournament Director for the ICC World Cup in October 2023 and the ICC representative in India, plus
CEO of Delhi Capitals until July 2023 and formerly General Manager, BCCI.
Since 2005 he has been a key part of the ICC core team, leading major men’s and women’s ICC tournaments.
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