MUMBAI: There’s one more international T20 cricket league coming the way of fans of the willow. And it’s coming from where else, Europe, the one bunch of cricket playing nations,  that had been left out of the action. so far. 

Called the European T20 Premier League  (ETPL) it is to be held from 15 July to 3 August 2025. The league got the sanction from cricket’s global ruling body the International Cricket Council on 4 January.

The ETPL is a privately-owned franchise tournament with a unique twist – it is a partnership between three cricket nations – Ireland (Cricket Ireland), Scotland  (Cricket Scotland) and the Netherlands (Koninklijke Nederlandse Cricket Bond - KNCB). This collaborative approach gives the ETPL  a true European feel and will feature the best talent from those three nations playing alongside some of the best talent from around the world.

The three cricketing boards  had tried to put together a tournament called the Euro T20 Slam in March 2019 but it had failed to take off. Not even one season was held. Hence, the trio are being a lot more careful now. They have put together an interim working group with a representative from each of them, strategic partner Rules Sport Tech, on behalf of the funding partners,  to guide decision making and oversee the  creation of a new administrative body to run the event. Cricket Ireland  chief executive Warren Deutrom has been elected chair of the interim working group. 

Said  Deutrom:  “We are delighted to confirm the ICC sanction of the ETPL and agreements are now in place across the joint venture partners. This is an important day in the development of the event, as it effectively fires the starting pistol on work around three important areas – franchise ownership, broadcast and the player draft. These are exciting times for cricket in Europe, and for local cricket fans, as we showcase some of the best cricket talent from Europe and around the world.”

A formal launch of the tournament and further details will be provided in due course, he added.