Ravichandran Ashwin to play as captain & mentor of Rahul Dravid-owned franchise

The European T20 Premier League (ETPL) has announced direct signing for the inaugural edition of Europe’s first ICC-sanctioned multi-country franchise T20 league. The tournament has been launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association. The league will feature 6 seasons, two from each country: Ireland (Dublin and Belfast), Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh) and the Netherlands (Rotterdam and Amsterdam).

Ashwin to mentor franchise

ETPL’s ownership group includes former and current cricketers like Steve Waugh, Rahul Dravid, Jonty Rhodes, Matthew Hayden, Faf du Plessis, and Heinrich Klaasen. Ravichandran Ashwin has been signed by Dravid’s franchise, Dublin Guardians, as the captain and mentor.

Post his international and Indian Premier League (IPL) retirement, Ashwin has decided to hit the franchise circuit. He signed up to play for the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League (BBL) but couldn’t due to injury. Currently, he’s in the USA to play in the Major Cricket League (MLC) for the San Francisco Unicorns.

Other than Ashwin, several other big names like Faf, Klaasen, Finn Allen, Lungi Ngidi, Steve Smith, Tim David, Mitchell Marsh and Mitchell Santner have also been signed. Faf and Klaasen co-own the Rotterdam Dockers, and the former will captain them.

Former Australian opener and current Gujarat Titans batting coach Matthew Hayden will be Glasgow Cosmic’s head coach. He also has an ownership stake in the franchise. Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) fielding coach, James Foster, will be in charge of Edinburgh Castle Rockers.

The inaugural edition of the ETPL will run from August 26 to September 20 in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. The first-ever draft of the tournament will be held on July 2.

ETPL 2026: Direct Signings

• Dublin Guardians: Ravichandran Ashwin
• Rotterdam Dockers: Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, Donovan Ferreira, Anrich Nortje, Mitchell Owen
• Glasgow Cosmic: Finn Allen, Lungi Ngidi, Duan Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Moises Henriques
• Amsterdam Flames: Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Michael Bracewell, Scott Edwards, Bas de Leede
• Edinburgh Castle Rockers: Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult

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