European T20 Premier League Unveils Schedule for Inaugural Season

Europe’s first major franchise T20 competition, the European T20 Premier League, has officially unveiled the schedule for its inaugural season, which runs from August 26 to September 20, 2026, across the Netherlands and Ireland. The six-team tournament features 32 matches over 26 days, bringing together global stars and homegrown European talent across two iconic venues.

Opening Fixtures and Tournament Venues

The inaugural season gets underway on August 26, 2026, with a blockbuster opening match at Voorburg Cricket Club in The Hague. Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen and John Abraham’s Rotterdam Dockers will face Steve Waugh and Jamie Dwyer’s Amsterdam Flames in the tournament opener. Voorburg Cricket Club will host the opening phase of the competition before the action shifts to Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin, Ireland, for the remainder of the league stage. On September 20, 2026, the first ETPL champions will be crowned in Dublin, which is set to stage both the Qualifier and the inaugural Final.

Co-owners expressed enthusiasm ahead of the launch.
It is a privilege to open the inaugural ETPL season. We can’t wait to bring Rotterdam’s passion and spirit onto the field and share this historic moment with our home fans, Rotterdam Dockers co-owner Jonty Rhodes said.

Amsterdam Flames co-owner Steve Waugh added:
The opening match is a fantastic opportunity to introduce Amsterdam Flames and the brand of cricket we want to play. We’re proud to be part of this exciting new chapter for European cricket and look forward to getting underway.

Global Stars and European Talent Lineups

The league brings together prominent names in international cricket alongside Europe’s finest homegrown players. Among the international stars lined up to play are Mitchell Marsh, Faf du Plessis, Trent Boult, Steve Smith, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Glenn Maxwell, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Tim David. Alongside them, the tournament features top-tier European talents including Matthew Cross, Josh Little, Scott Edwards, Paul Stirling, Max O’Dowd, Aryan Dutt, Richie Berrington, George Dockrell, and Jai Moondra.

On August 27, 2026, the second match of the tournament will feature Rahul Dravid supporting his Dublin Guardians, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, as they face off against Glenn Maxwell’s Belfast Wolves.
Representing Dublin in Europe’s newest franchise T20 league is exciting, Rahul Dravid said. We look forward to an exciting inaugural season and to building something the city and its fans can be proud of.

Matthew Hayden, co-owner of Glasgow Cosmic, also commented on the league’s significance, stating:
The ETPL marks a landmark moment for Scottish cricket, and Glasgow Cosmic is proud to be part of this journey. We look forward to making our mark from the very first ball.

Tournament Format and Next Steps

Each franchise will play every other team twice in a round-robin format. The team finishing at the top of the league table qualifies directly for the Final, while the second and third-placed teams contest the Qualifier for the remaining place in the championship decider.

The release of the fixtures marks another significant milestone in the journey towards our inaugural season, said Dhiraj Malhotra, co-founder of the European T20 Premier League. In just 29 days, Europe will witness the launch of its own franchise T20 league. We can’t wait for the first ball to be bowled and for ETPL to begin creating its own history.

ETPL Board director Warren Deutrom noted that tickets go on sale later in the week, with excitement building for the month-long competition. Fans can view the complete fixture list on etplofficial.com.