Indian cricket legend Rahul Dravid has high expectations of the European T20 Premier League (ETPL) to be held later this year in The Hague and Dublin.
Dravid co-owns one of the six franchises in the league, Dublin Guardians. He is part of an Indian consortium that is the financial force behind the Guardians.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to be involved. When I first heard about this, it was really exciting,” Dravid said.
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“I’ve always loved the passion and energy of cricket in Europe. The passion with which the players play the game.
“I’ve seen the passion of grassroots, and also the T20 World Cup has shown the talent, too.
“That’s something we can grow and build. It would be a dream to see the talent on the world stage,” he added.
Ashwin in the picture too!
Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will captain the Guardians during the league’s first edition from August 26 to September 20. The other five teams hail from Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Glasgow (Scotland) and Edinburgh (Scotland).
Cricket Ireland chair Brian MacNeice thinks the initiative is going to be a massive hit in Europe.
“It’s going to make a huge impact across Europe. I am excited by the calibre of people who are backing the teams.
“It’s all about the visibility and development of the game in a region where it can grow,” he said.
As per BBC Sport, “the franchises were sold for £11.1m ($15m) over a 10-year period. Bollywood actor and film producer Abhishek Bachchan is a part-owner of the league in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech, a private Indian company.”
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh is another big name associated with the league. His investment group is behind Amsterdam Flames. “I’m not signing up to a Mickey Mouse T20 competition. This is the real deal,” Waugh told BBC Sport earlier this year.
“I wouldn’t be lending my name to it, or bringing my knowledge, if it wasn’t. The players we’ve spoken to are very keen to play in this league,” he added.
While it’s an initiative between cricket boards from Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands at present, the league-governing body hopes there will be more countries participating in it in the near future. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) were approached too, but then they have their own tournaments to prioritise, like The Hundred and the T20 Blast.