Big names throw their hat in the ring for new European T20 league

Dubai: If the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the ‘first great frontier’ of Twenty20 cricket — the slam-bang version of the game that has really salvaged its waning popularity and helped spread its wings — we may now have found the ‘last great frontier’ — continental Europe — where the game has never really taken off despite its origins just across the channel.

But all that is going to change soon.

Starting August, the European T20 Premier League is set to take off with the first three franchises — Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast — already being finalised. The venture is set to include three more teams in a tournament held across continental Europe, a largely untapped market for cricket.

Amsterdam will be co-owned by former Australia captain and one of the country’s best-ever players, Steve Waugh, and he is excited about taking the sport to a new part of the world.

“This opportunity stood out because it is driven by aspiration and long-term thinking,” Waugh said. “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.”

The BBC reported Amsterdam has already signed up Australia stars Steve Smith and Mitch Marsh for the team.

Belfast will be owned by a consortium led by Australia cricketer Glenn Maxwell, who still plays T20 cricket for his country and around the world.

Edinburgh will be owned by former New Zealand cricketers Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills.

The venture has been officially sanctioned by the ICC and is one of the many T20 competitions around the world.

Saurav Banerjee, a co-founder of the league, said Europe has 34 member nations in the ICC but “remains under-commercialised, presenting a significant opportunity for structured growth.”

“Through professional governance, a franchise-based structure and long-term discipline, ETPL aims to catalyse sustainable commercial growth and elevate European cricket on the global stage,” he said.