Veteran Indian cricketers Rahul Dravid and Ravichandran Ashwin are reportedly part of the Indian contingent set to bag a franchise in the upcoming European T20 Premier League (ETPL). An official announcement regarding the sale of the Glasgow franchise is expected later this month.
According to a report from BBC Sport, the investment group has agreed a deal to buy the Glasgow-based franchise in the six-team tournament planned for this summer. Former Indian cricketers are moving from on-field excellence to team ownership in the emerging European cricket landscape.
ETPL attracts investment from former international cricketers
Held in partnership with the cricket boards of Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, the ETPL is attracting huge interest from former international players. Notably, the league is also set to sell a second Dutch franchise based in Rotterdam.
The report states that the Rotterdam franchise will be acquired by a group of South African investors including former Proteas players Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen and Jonty Rhodes. In January the sale of franchises in Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh to Australian and New Zealand investors was completed.
The only ETPL City franchise to be sold so far is based in Dublin. The report states that there has been interest from various parties in a Dublin team, including the owners of at least two teams in England’s The Hundred competition.
According to the report, the franchise has been sold for £11.1 million ($15 million) over a 10-year period, with teams expected to operate on a salary budget of approximately £1.1 million ($1.5 million) per season.
Will Ravichandran Ashwin play for his franchise in ETPL?
Rahul Dravid completed his tenure as the head coach of the Indian men’s cricket team in 2024. It is not yet officially known whether Ravichandran Ashwin will play in the tournament for his new franchise or not.
The 39-year-old off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 and walked away from the Indian Premier League (IPL) in August 2025. However, Ravichandran Ashwin had expressed a strong desire to explore opportunities in global franchise leagues across the world.
Ravichandran Ashwin was initially set to play in the recent edition of Australia’s Big Bash League after agreeing to a deal with Sydney Thunder. However, he injured his knee during training in Chennai last December and was ruled out for rehabilitation following surgery.
Regarding his possible return to the field, the BBC report said, “Ashwin’s participation is interesting and his chances of playing in the ETPL have increased, which would be a huge coup for the organisers.”
Rahul Dravid’s special connection with Scottish cricket
Dravid has a special relationship with Scottish cricket. The 53-year-old batting great previously played for Scotland as an overseas professional in 2003, when the team competed in England’s limited-overs county competitions.
During that stint, the former right-handed batsman played 11 matches in the National Cricket League, scoring 600 runs including three centuries.
His return to Scottish cricket as a team owner sends a powerful message about the country’s cricketing potential and adds considerable credibility to the inaugural ETPL tournament, which is scheduled to run from 26 August to 20 September.
Also read: India’s World Cup winner brutally calls Sam Curran ‘useless’, ‘useless’ and ‘terrible’