Europe-based ETPL unveils Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell as owners
Former Australia captain Steve Waugh (left), ETPL co-founder Abhishek Bachchan (middle), former Australia field hockey player Jamie Dwyer (right). (Source: ETPL)
Published - 21 Jan 2026, 09:13 AM• Read time - 3 mins
European T20 Premier League (ETPL) has officially announced the owners of its first three franchises at an international press conference in Sydney. The six-team league, formally sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), has confirmed Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Belfast as the first franchise cities in the tournament, which is scheduled to run between August 26 and September 20. Dublin, Rotterdam, and Glasgow will be the remaining three franchises once sold.
Steve Waugh, former Australia’s World Cup-winning skipper, Jamie Dwyer, 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, have been unveiled as the owners of the Amsterdam-based franchise.
Former New Zealand cricketer Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills, the former ICC No.1 ODI pacer, will own the Edinburgh franchise. In contrast, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and Rohan Lund, former Group CEO of Australia-based insurance company NRMA, will own the Belfast franchise.
The announcement marks a historic moment in Europe’s developing cricketing landscape and lays the foundation for the first phase of ETPL’s franchise rollout ahead of its inaugural season. The August-September window means that the league will clash with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) while only narrowly escaping overlap with The Hundred in England and Major League Cricket (MLC) in the USA.
Waugh, co-owner of the Amsterdam Franchise, confirmed that the franchise has signed up Steve Smith and Australia’s incumbent T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh, while they are in talks with Tim David. Netherlands captain Scott Edwards is also among the signed players.
“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,” Waugh said.
Glenn Maxwell, co-owner, Belfast Franchise, said he is thrilled to be part of the tournament and explore cricket in Europe.
“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.”
Kyle Mills, co- owner Edinburgh Franchise, said:
“The opportunity to be part of franchise ownership in a league built with strong governance and deep board partnerships is hugely compelling,” said “ETPL has all the ingredients to become a serious force in global cricket.”
Abhishek Bachchan, co-founder of ETPL, said:
“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.”
ETPL is a joint venture between Rules Global and Cricket Ireland, a Full Member of the International Cricket Council. The league is co-founded by Abhishek Bachchan, Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul and Dhiraj Malhotra, and is supported through formal partnerships with Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB).
European cricket continues to gather pace, with Italy qualifying for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, and England, Ireland and Scotland hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.