Former Indian cricketers Rahul Dravid and Ravichandran Ashwin are set to headline the consortium that is interested in purchasing a Scotland-based team in the upcoming European T20 Premier League.
As per a BBC report, Dravid and Ashwin helm the group that is interested in purchasing a stake in the remaining Scottish team in the six-team tournament that is set to begin later this year. This team will be based out of Glasgow, joining teams already situated in Amsterdam, Belfast, and Edinburgh for the upcoming franchise league.
The ETPL is a joint venture between the cricket associations in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands, with three teams being announced thus far and three more yet to be named.
Along with Ashwin and Dravid’s group, a separate unit led by South African stars Heinrich Klaasen, Faf du Plessis, and Jonty Rhodes is also investing in the Rotterdam-based team for the tournament. The two teams are now expected to be announced and revealed in an event at the end of this month, as per the BBC report.
Big names with stakes in newly-minted ETPL
The only team still on offer for purchase will be the Dublin-based team, who have received interest from a pair of Hundred franchises. The owners of the other franchises include names such as Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell, and Nathan McCullum, with interest from the world of cricket – players such as Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh are lined up to play in this league.
Ashwin’s involvement in particular might hint at the Indian spinner’s desire to be involved in the ETPL as a player. Upon his retirement from international cricket, Ashwin voiced a desire to try his hand in various franchise leagues. His tilt at the Big Bash League fell through due to injury, but this venture might present him a chance to play for a team he co-owns as well.
Dravid also shares a connection to Scottish cricket: he signed on as an overseas professional for the team all the way back in 2003, when they were yet to make their international bow and participated as part of the ECB’s domestic circuit in limited overs cricket.
The ETPL is a venture forefronted by Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan and former Delhi Capitals CEO Dhiraj Malhotra, and is a strategic partnership between these three European nations of Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands. The tournament is set to take place in the August-September window of this calendar year, with teams based out of Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam.
