European cricket is ready to enter a new era with the launch of the inaugural European T20 Premier League (ETPL) 2026 on Wednesday, August 26. The franchise-based tournament, jointly organised by Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association (KNCB) – also known as Netherlands Cricket, will bring a fresh dose of high-profile T20 cricket to the region.

Sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the ETPL has generated considerable interest even before the first ball is bowled. Backed by major investors and featuring several well-known former and current international cricketers, the competition aims to combine entertainment with a long-term push to strengthen European cricket.

ETPL 2026 schedule and format

The tournament will run for 26 days, with the final scheduled for September 20. Six franchises will compete across 32 matches, beginning with a double round-robin league phase. Each team will play 10 league matches, giving the sides plenty of opportunities to establish themselves before the decisive playoff stage. The team finishing first in the league standings will advance directly to the final.

The second- and third-placed teams will meet in the Qualifier on September 19, with the winner earning the second spot in the final. The competition will also have a distinct geographical split. The opening leg, covering matches 1 to 17, will be played at Sportpark Duivesteijn/Westvliet in Voorburg, Netherlands. The tournament will then move to Malahide Cricket Club in Dublin for matches 18 to 32, including the playoffs and final.

Six franchises, plenty of star power

The ETPL will feature six teams representing cities across Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands: Amsterdam Flames, Rotterdam Dockers, Dublin Guardians, Belfast Wolves, Glasgow Cosmic and Edinburgh Castle Rockers.

The player line-up has added considerable glamour to the competition. Amsterdam Flames boast Steve Smith, Tim David, Scott Edwards and former India captain Ajinkya Rahane. Rotterdam Dockers have assembled a formidable group featuring Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, Anrich Nortje and Jai Moondra.

Dublin Guardians will be led by Indian spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, while Belfast Wolves have the explosive Glenn Maxwell alongside Ireland’s Paul Stirling. Edinburgh Castle Rockers have Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult among their headline names, while Glasgow Cosmic will be spearheaded by George Munsey and also feature South African pair Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj.

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ETPL 2026, Complete schedule

ETPL 2026, Broadcast and LIVE Stremaing details:

• India: Star Sports Network; JioHotstar
• USA and Canada: Sling TV – Willow TV (sign up here) and Cricbuzz
• UK and Ireland: TNT Sports; HBO Max
• MENA countries: Cricbuzz
• Indian subcontinent: Star Sports Network; JioHotstar
• South East Asia: Cricbuzz

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