Rahul Dravid Becomes ETPL's Dublin Guardians Owner

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-05-12

Rahul Dravid, the former India captain and T20 World Cup-winning coach, is now the owner of the Dublin Guardians in the European T20 Premier League (ETPL). He was officially unveiled at a franchise event on May 11, 2026, finishing the six-team ownership lineup ahead of the league's August launch. The ETPL runs from August 26 to September 20, 2026. It's the first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 competition in Europe, set up with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association. Teams represent Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. ### Ravichandran Ashwin to Lead Dublin Guardians Ravichandran Ashwin will captain the Dublin Guardians. The former India all-rounder takes the armband as the side gears up for what's shaping up to be one of the most ambitious franchise tournaments outside Asia. ### Dravid Sees a Bigger Picture Beyond Just Owning a Franchise Dravid didn't come into this purely as an investor. He's talked about the role he sees the ETPL playing in developing cricket at the grassroots level across Ireland and Europe. "What attracted me to ETPL was the larger vision behind it, the opportunity to help grow cricket in Europe by strengthening grassroots development and creating pathways for emerging talent," he said. He pointed to Dublin's existing cricket culture as a foundation worth building on. In his view, the work extends well past what happens on the pitch. Getting fans through the gates and giving them a quality experience is just as important, especially when cricket is competing against football and rugby for attention in that part of the world. "We are competing with some very, very established sports," he acknowledged. ### Who Owns What Across the Six ETPL Franchises Dravid joins a notable list of former international cricketers who've taken ownership stakes in the league. Here's the full lineup: - **Belfast**: Glenn Maxwell and Rohan Lund - **Edinburgh**: Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum, and Rachel Wiseman - **Glasgow**: Chris Gayle and Vipul Aggarwal - **Amsterdam**: Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer, and Tim Thomas - **Rotterdam**: Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, and Heinrich Klaasen (with Madhukar Shree as Managing Partner) Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan co-owns the league itself alongside co-founders Saurav Banerjee, Priyanka Kaul, and Dhiraj Malhotra. Several owners will also play in the tournament. Maxwell and Du Plessis will feature as players, joined by the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Tim David, Mitchell Santner, and Liam Livingstone. ### Cricket Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands Back the League Officially The launch event brought together senior figures from all three partner boards. Cricket Ireland CEO Sarah Keane, Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade, and Cricket Netherlands Director of High Performance Roland Lefebvre were all present, reflecting the official weight behind the competition. For Dravid, stepping into franchise ownership is consistent with the kind of long-term thinking he's been associated with throughout his career in coaching and cricket administration. Building structures, creating opportunity, and thinking beyond the immediate result — it's the same approach, applied now to a different part of the cricketing world. For the latest cricket news and updates, follow the JeetWin Blog.