Waugh invests in European T20 Premier League

In a men’s European T20 tournament that will be played by city-based teams in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands later this year, former Australian captain Steve Waugh is one of the franchise investors.

The six-team European T20 Premier League (ETPL) was scheduled to begin in 2025, but it was postponed because the franchises’ sales were delayed.

However, agreements have now been reached with two distinct groups of investors, one from New Zealand and the other, regarding three of the franchises.

One of those is led by Waugh, who is now the head coach of the Amsterdam Flames, which is supported by a group that includes Australian businessman Tim Thomas and former field hockey player Jamie Dwyer.

Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh, two of the Flames’ most well-known international players, have already been signed by them.

Waugh, 60, described the opportunity to “take the global game of cricket to continental Europe as “fascinating.”

I’m not entering a Mickey Mouse T20 game. Waugh told BBC Sport, “This is the real deal.

If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have referred to it or share my knowledge with it. The players we spoke with have a lot of interest in playing in this league.

Abhishek Bachchan, a private Indian company owned by a Bollywood actor and producer, owns the ETPL in association with it.

According to BBC Sport, the franchises were purchased for £11.1 million (15 million) over a 10-year period.

The inaugural tournament is scheduled to begin on August 26 and have a total salary budget of around £1.1 million ($1.5 million) per year.

The league is being run in partnership with the Netherlands, Scotland, and Ireland’s cricket boards.

The International Cricket Council has approved it, whose organization believes it to be a useful starting point for further expansion of cricket in Europe.

Bachchan claimed that the tournament will be world class because of “the quality of players signing on.”

The true hard work begins now, Bachchan continued, “We are all primed and ready to go.”

The Belfast-based franchise, known as the Irish Wolves, is expected to have Glenn Maxwell and his brother Daniel as investors.

Rohan Lund, the former CEO of one of Australia’s largest roadside assistance networks, is a member of the franchise consortium.

A consortium from New Zealand has purchased the Edinburgh franchise, which will now be called the Castle Rockers.

The main backers are England coach Brendon’s older sibling, England coach Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum, both former Black Caps internationals.

By the end of February, the remaining franchise deals in Dublin, Glasgow, and Rotterdam are anticipated to be completed.

The tournament will clash with England’s Test series against Pakistan, which excludes players from other genres like Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, and Jofra Archer.

Any England players with white-ball contracts who are eligible to play would theoretically be able to do so with the 2026 edition of The Hundred scheduled to run from late July through mid-August.

On September 15, England and Sri Lanka will play one more T20 match.

The Caribbean Premier League, which will take place from August 15 to September 22, will both take place in the ETPL.

Additionally, it will clash with a number of County Championship games scheduled to start on August 20.

Any England players who are being contracted out of the country would need a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Given that there is no conflict with The Hundred or The Blast, county-contracted players who are only on white-ball deals would be able to play with an NOC.

Although the ETPL squad size has not yet been officially agreed, it is believed that at least seven players must be from Europe.

The majority of the players will be from Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, but other Associate League players are likely to have the opportunity to play.

Those who have eagerly awaited such a league’s launch in Europe may be forgiven for being measured until the first ball is bowled.

After all, the postponement of a competition that had been scheduled for the summer months last year was just the most recent setback in a story that dates back to 2019 and features its precursor, Euro Slam.

The first attempt was delayed just two weeks before the start of the game, all at the same time as franchise establishments and a player draft had already taken place.

Following unsuccessful attempts to launch, both the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent search for investment failed.

Even with the big names attached this time, the battle to secure buy-in will be more difficult, which will become even more pressing as a result of the high-wire act of staging international cricket without the necessary permanent venues.

Additionally, cynics will likely point to the weather in western Europe come September as a potential stumbling block because three of Ireland’s six T20s during the country’s summer of 2025 were lost to the rain.

However, there are obvious advantages for players.

While, in Ireland, the lack of any cricket at all was the main topic of conversation throughout the year, top-level cricket has frequently been cited as a problem that is preventing international progress.