Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes, and Heinrich Klaasen join hands to co-own ETPL team

Faf du Plessis, Jonty Rhodes, and Heinrich Klaasen have joined hands to co-own the Rotterdam franchise at the European T20 Premier League (ETPL). It is a six-team tournament and will run from August 26 to September 20, directly clashing with the Caribbean Premier League (August 7-September 20). The ETPL will be organised in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.

Wicketkeeper-batter Klaasen and former South Africa captain du Plessis will also play for their team this season. Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Santner will also be seen in action in the inaugural edition.

"For me, the entry point was there's obviously a lot of leagues around the world, and as someone like myself, who is called a circuit player, as someone that can play in different leagues around the world, you want to make sure you align with the ones that are the best," du Plessis said. "This really excited me around the opportunity of being part of something and growing something in a league that's starting fresh, in a tournament that's starting new, and then building something that is very South African.

"I want to use the experience that I've picked up around the world in terms of all the different leagues and just bringing that to build a team that's part of a tournament that's hopefully very successful and that can grow European cricket."

Rotterdam (co-owned by du Plessis, Klaasen and Rhodes), Glasgow (co-owned by Chris Gayle), Belfast (co-owned by Glenn Maxwell), Edinburgh (backed by Nathan McCullum and Kyle Mills), Amsterdam (backed by Steve Waugh) and Dublin are the six teams participating in the tournament.

Rhodes has first-hand experience of European cricket. He served as the national coach of Sweden previously and believes the Rotterdam franchise will add the much-needed South African flavour to the competition.

"We saw the announcement of the first three teams, and there was a big Australian and New Zealand focus. So we've kind of come in now with a big South African focus as well, just to add a little bit of a needle in some of the games that we're going to be playing against the Aussies and the Kiwis," Rhodes said. "It's not just a four-week period, but how can we have a positive impact on cricket, not just in Rotterdam with our franchise, but Europe as a whole. So that's a huge focus for us as a franchise.

"Rotterdam is the gateway to Europe. So anything that's coming in and out of Europe actually comes through Rotterdam. It's a real mix of cultures."