Rahul Dravid becomes owner of European T20 Premier League franchise
What's the story
Rahul Dravid, the legendary Indian cricketer and coach, has been announced as the owner of Dublin Guardians. The team is one of the six franchises competing in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), which will kick off in August 2026. The league was launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and Royal Dutch Cricket Association to promote cricket across Europe.
Growth strategy
'Nurturing the next generation has always been important to me'
Speaking about his new role, Dravid said he was drawn to ETPL by its larger vision. He sees it as an opportunity to grow cricket in Europe by strengthening grassroots development and creating pathways for emerging talent. "Dublin already has a passionate cricketing community and enormous potential for growth," he said. "Nurturing the next generation has always been important to me, and I believe ETPL can play a meaningful role in that journey."
League structure
Franchises owned by former cricketers
ETPL is Europe's first multi-country franchise T20 league sanctioned by the ICC. It features teams from Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. The league has been co-owned by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan and includes franchises owned by several international cricketers such as Glenn Maxwell (Irish Wolves), Steve Waugh (Amsterdam Flames), Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills (Edinburgh Castle Rockers), Chris Gayle (Glasgow Cosmic), and Jonty Rhodes and Faf du Plessis (Rotterdam Dockers).
Fan engagement
Growing the sport in Europe
Dravid stressed that growing the sport in Europe would depend on building a strong fan culture and match-day experience. "At the grassroots level, it's about creating that awareness for the fans, it's about getting people on the ground, it's about giving them a great experience," he said. "When they come to cricket, the quality has got to be of a high standard but everything else at that venue has to be top-notch."