India cricket legend Rahul Dravid has been announced as the co-owner of the final European T20 Premier League (ETPL) franchise based out of Dublin.<\/p>\n
Dravid is part of an Indian consortium which has acquired the team, who will be called the Dublin Guardians.<\/p>\n
The 53-year-old, who played 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals for India and coached the national team from 2021 to 2024, is seen as a major coup for the league’s organisers.<\/p>\n
“It’s absolutely brilliant to be involved. When I first heard about this it was really exciting,” Dravid said.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always loved the passion and energy of cricket in Europe. The passion with which the players play the game. <\/p>\n
“I’ve seen the passion of grassroots and also the T20 World Cup has shown the talent, too.<\/p>\n
“That’s something we can grow and build. It would be a dream to see the talent on the world stage.”<\/p>\n
Former India spin-bowling all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin will captain the Guardians.<\/p>\n
He retired from Test cricket in December 2024 and stepped away from the Indian Premier League last summer, making him available to play in leagues in the rest of the world.<\/p>\n
The ETPL is being run in collaboration with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands – with six teams based out of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Belfast, Dublin, Glasgow and Edinburgh.<\/p>\n
Bollywood actor and film producer Abhishek Bachchan is a part-owner of the league in conjunction with Rules Sport Tech, a private Indian company.<\/p>\n