Glenn Maxwell, Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer Unveiled As Franchise Owners Of European T20 Premier League

The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) has announced the owners of its first three franchises ahead of its inaugural season later this year. The league, officially sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), confirmed Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Belfast as the first host cities.

Australian former captain Steve Waugh will lead the ownership group for the Amsterdam franchise, alongside Olympic hockey gold medallist Jamie Dwyer and former KPMG executive Tim Thomas. Waugh, who has not previously been involved in T20 cricket, said the venture represented an opportunity to support the growth of the sport in Europe.

Edinburgh’s franchise will be owned by former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills. Meanwhile, Australian all-rounder

Glenn Maxwell will head the Belfast team, with former NRMA CEO Rohan Lund as part of the ownership group.

The ETPL is operated through a joint venture between Rules Global and Cricket Ireland, with formal partnerships also in place with Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB). Co-founders of the league include Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra.

Bachchan described the league as a platform for combining established international players with emerging European talent, emphasising governance and sporting integrity. Banerjee highlighted that Europe accounts for nearly a third of the ICC’s global membership and said the league aims to develop commercial and professional opportunities in underdeveloped cricket markets.

The league’s launch coincides with increasing European involvement in the international game. Italy has qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, while England, Ireland and Scotland are set to host matches in the same tournament.

Brian MacNeice, ETPL Chair, said the league marked an important step in developing cricket in Ireland and across Europe. Trudy Lindblade, CEO of Cricket Scotland, described the franchises as a “significant step forward for European cricket,” and KNCB interim CEO Lucas Hendriske said the league would help raise the sport’s profile and performance standards in the Netherlands and beyond.

Season one of the ETPL is scheduled to begin in late August 2026, featuring a mix of international stars and emerging European players, supported by a technology-driven league structure.