Cricket legends Steve Waugh and Glenn Maxwell have teamed up with Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan to form a new Europe-based T20 league, the European T20 Premier League (ETPL), which will be held in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.
Waugh and Maxwell were officially unveiled as owners on Wednesday.
Former New Zealand players Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum also have rights, while three teams are yet to be sold.
The three franchises that have been sold are based in Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh, while the remaining three are finalized once each for Dublin, Rotterdam and Glasgow.
For Waugh, this marks his first significant involvement in cricket since retiring 20 years ago. He leads a consortium that owns the Amsterdam Flames, including former Australian field hockey star Jamie Dwyer.
Maxwell will co-own Irish Wolves with Rohan Lund, former CEO of Australia-based insurance company NRMA. McCullum and Mills are the owners of the Edinburgh franchise.
The ETPL faced a delay in its launch following the Euro Slam T20 – involving the same three cricket boards – which was originally scheduled to launch in 2019 but did not materialise.
It is a joint venture between Cricket Ireland and India-based Rules Global (Rules X), with strategic partnerships with Cricket Scotland and the KNCB (Netherlands Cricket Board).
Bachchan co-founded the league with three Indian investors, including former IPL Delhi Capitals CEO Dheeraj Malhotra.
The inaugural ETPL season is scheduled from August 26 to September 20. As it kicks off 10 days after the Hundred final, it is expected to overlap with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), the dates of which are yet to be announced.
Waugh confirmed that stars including Steve Smith, Australian T20 captain Mitchell Marsh and Netherlands captain Scott Edwards have signed with the Amsterdam Flames. The franchise is also in discussions with Tim David.
“We approached many players and did not get a single negative response. They are impressed with the project. As I am not much involved in cricket, they see it as a serious initiative. The focus is on values, teamwork and developing players, especially in Europe,” he said.
“The opportunity for continental players to play with the best batsmen in the world for four or five weeks will fast-track their progress. This league is not just symbolic – it has to be one of the best T20 tournaments in the world,” he added.
Bachchan, who is making his first foray into overseas sports rights after previous investments in Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Street Premier League, echoes Waugh’s optimism while stressing realism.
He confirmed that talks are ongoing with the Indian broadcaster, but did not comment on the interest of an IPL franchise.
“The inaugural season will be played in Ireland and the Netherlands, with two centers in Dublin and venues in the Netherlands already selected. We are building stands and infrastructure to enhance the T20 experience. Our approach is to grow the league gradually and create an environment that keeps fans coming back,” Bachchan said.