Rahul Dravid was Rajasthan Royals head coach in the Indian Premier League
Dhiraj Malhotra and Abhishek Bachchan, co-founders ETPL, . Sarah Keane, CEO of Cricket Ireland, Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, Rahul Dravid, owner of Dublin Guardians, Ajit Ravindran from Dublin Guardians and Priyanka Kaul and Saurav Banerjee, co-founders ETPL in Dublin
The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) today announced that Indian cricket icon Rahul Dravid is the owner of the Dublin Guardians, completing the league’s six-team franchise structure ahead of its 2026 launch.
ETPL will feature six franchises – in Glasgow, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Dublin, Belfast and Rotterdam – competing in what is set to be a landmark tournament for cricket in Europe.
Dravid was officially unveiled as owner of the Dublin franchise in an event ahead of the league’s 2026 launch. The event brought together franchise owners from across the league, including Vipul Aggarwal from the Glasgow side, Jonty Rhodes and Madhukar Shree of the Rotterdam team and ETPL co-founders Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra.
Dhiraj Malhotra and Abhishek Bachchan, co-founders ETPL, . Sarah Keane, CEO of Cricket Ireland, Brian MacNeice, Chair of Cricket Ireland, Rahul Dravid, owner of Dublin Guardians, Ajit Ravindran from Dublin Guardians and Priyanka Kaul and Saurav Banerjee, co-founders ETPL in Dublin
“What attracted me to ETPL was the larger vision behind it,” said Dravid, the former India captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach. “The opportunity to help grow cricket in Europe by strengthening grassroots development and creating pathways for emerging talent across Ireland and Europe.
“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.”
Chair of Cricket Ireland Brian MacNeice added: “This is a landmark moment for cricket in Ireland and for the wider European cricket ecosystem. ETPL has the potential to significantly elevate the visibility of cricket, participation growth and quality of cricket playing opportunities for our players across the region while strengthening pathways for future generations.”
Dravid said, “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. 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.”
The league is expected to feature international stars including Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, Liam Livingstone, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, among others, creating a unique opportunity for emerging players from Europe and other associate nations to compete and share the dressing room with some of the biggest names in world cricket.