R Ashwin named captain and mentor of Rahul Dravid-owned Dublin Guardians for the European T20 Premier League

The ETPL 2026 will begin on August 26 and will be played in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands.

Former India spinner R Ashwin has been unveiled as the captain of the Dublin Guardians in the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL 2026) tournament. Notably, this franchise is one of the six teams participating in the tournament and is owned by former India captain and head coach Rahul Dravid.

The first multi-country franchise T20 league in Europe to receive ICC approval is the ETPL, which Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association support.

Six city-based teams—Dublin Guardians, Amsterdam Flames, Rotterdam Dockers, Belfast Irish Wolves, Edinburgh Castle Rockers, and Glasgow Cosmics—will compete in the competition, which is set to take place from August 26 to September 20. Games will take place in Ireland, Scotland, and the Netherlands.

The 39-year-old is one of the straightforward signings for the competition. Before the league's player draft on July 2, Ashwin, who withdrew from the IPL at the end of the 2025 season but is still active in franchise cricket with the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket, joins an increasing number of international players.

 

 

 

 

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The league has already unveiled a star-studded roster of straight signings, including Ashwin. Donovan Ferreira, Anrich Nortje, Mitchell Owen, and Faf du Plessis will captain Rotterdam, a team he co-owns with Heinrich Klaasen and Jonty Rhodes. Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Michael Bracewell, and Dutch internationals Scott Edwards and Bas de Leede have all been acquired by Amsterdam.

Glasgow, meanwhile, has signed Lungi Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Duan Jansen, and explosive New Zealand starter Finn Allen. Glenn Maxwell has been named captain of Belfast, while Mitchell Santner will lead Edinburgh, where he will rejoin fellow New Zealander Trent Boult. Another well-known direct signing for the league is Tim David.

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan co-owns the league, which employs James Foster as head coach of Edinburgh and Matthew Hayden as co-owner and head coach of Glasgow.

Steve Waugh (Amsterdam), Maxwell (Belfast), Kyle Mills & Nathan McCullum (Edinburgh), and the South African trio of Du Plessis, Klaasen, and Jonty Rhodes, as well as Bollywood star John Abraham (Rotterdam), are the franchise owners.

Before the league begins later this summer, the remaining squad spots will be filled through the draft, which is set for Thursday, July 2.