EUROPEAN T20 PREMIER LEAGUE (ETPL), officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), has announced the owners of its first three franchises at an international press conference in Sydney, held against the backdrop of the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
The league confirmed Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast as the inaugural franchise cities for the competition, which is set to make its debut in late summer 2026.
The Amsterdam franchise will be owned by a consortium led by Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh; alongside Jamie Dwyer, a 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 Edinburgh franchise will be owned by former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum, a high-performance cricket coach, and Kyle Mills, the former New Zealand fast bowler who once held the ICC No.1 ranking in ODIs.
The Belfast franchise will be owned by Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, in partnership with Rohan Lund, former Group CEO of NRMA, with additional strategic partners to be announced in due course.
ETPL is owned and operated through a joint venture between Rules Global (Rules X) and Cricket Ireland. The league is co-founded by Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra, and is further supported through formal partnerships with Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB).
Waugh said, “I’ve always been selective about where I invest my time and energy in cricket. Franchise cricket has expanded quickly, but this opportunity stood out because it is driven by aspiration and long-term thinking. In many ways, it marks a return to the game for me — but in a very different role. This is about helping uphold the standards and spirit of cricket while supporting its growth into Europe, which remains the game’s last great frontier.”
Maxwell shared, “I am thrilled to be involved with the Irish Wolves, where we will build a culture of fun, family and playing without fear. The Irish people love their sport and Cricket Ireland have made huge strides in expanding the game over the last two decades. The Wolves and the European T20 Premier League will accelerate that growth and I feel super proud to be leading the franchise in its inaugural year.”
Mills commented, “The opportunity to be part of franchise ownership in a league built with strong governance and deep board partnerships is hugely compelling. vETPL has all the ingredients to become a serious force in global cricket.”
ETPL co-founder and actor Abhishek Bachchan added, “My journey across sport has taught me that meaningful franchises are built with intent, integrity and vision; and these three teams represent exactly that. Anchored in strong partnerships with national boards and the greats of the game, ETPL will bring together established international stars alongside emerging talent from Europe and other associate nations, while upholding the highest standards of governance, transparency and sporting integrity, setting a new benchmark for emerging franchise leagues.”
