Australian stars Glenn Maxwell and Steve Waugh have emerged among the franchise owners of a new European Twenty20 league set to launch in August, marking the latest effort to expand cricket’s footprint beyond its traditional strongholds. The European T20 Premier League (ETPL), backed by the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, has been approved by the International Cricket Council after two earlier postponements.
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The project’s founders include Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, who unveiled details of three franchises in Sydney. Bachchan said the initiative aims to foster a cricket ecosystem across mainland Europe, where the sport remains niche despite growing national participation. “Mainland Europe is not known for cricket,” he said, adding that the ETPL hopes to “bring the magic of cricket euphoria to mainland Europe”.
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The European T20 Premier League is finally taking shape 👀
🏏 Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Mills & Nathan McCullum named franchise owners
🌍 Backed by Ireland, Netherlands & Scotland boards
🗓️ Launch planned around Aug 26 pic.twitter.com/yhkTrp7BzO— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) January 21, 2026
Maxwell is part of the ownership group behind the Belfast franchise, while former New Zealand internationals Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills have purchased the Edinburgh side. Waugh, alongside five-time international hockey player of the year Jamie Dwyer, is part of the consortium behind the Amsterdam franchise.
Europe’s cricket landscape has been expanding steadily. The ICC counts 33 members in the continent — the most of any region — with Scotland and the Netherlands having appeared in past World Cups. Italy is set to make its T20 World Cup debut next month, while cricket’s return to the 2028 Olympic programme is expected to further drive interest.
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Waugh said the Amsterdam side would give local players rare exposure to leading international talent. “Franchise cricket has the world’s best players playing with locals,” he noted, citing the potential involvement of Australia captain Mitchell Marsh and batter Steve Smith. “You can’t buy that kind of experience.”
Originally envisioned as the Euro T20 Slam, the league failed to launch in 2019 and suffered another delay last year before being reshaped into the ETPL.