Ravichandran Ashwin Rahul Dravid. Image Credits: AFP
Rahul Dravid has started a new chapter in his professional life, as after playing cricket and coaching cricket teams to World Cups, the ex-India captain has become an owner of a cricket team. Yes, Rahul Dravid was recently unveiled as the owner of the Dublin Guardians in the European T20 Premier League 2026.
Launched in partnership with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland, and the Royal Dutch Cricket Association, ETPL has completed its six-team lineup and revealed the owners of each of the teams.
Glenn Maxwell, Chris Gayle, and Steve Waugh are amongst the owners of the teams in ETPL
Apart from Dravid, there are several other notable cricketing names like Steve Waugh, Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, and Jonty Rhodes who will be owning teams in the European T20 Premier League 2026.
Maxwell, along with Rohan Lund, owns the Belfast franchise. Chris Gayle and Vipul Aggarwal own the Glasgow team. Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum & Rachel Wiseman will own the Edinburgh team, while the Amsterdam franchise will be owned by Steve Waugh, Jamie Dwyer, and Tim Thomas.
At last, the Rotterdam franchise will have Jonty Rhodes, Faf du Plessis, Glashin, and Samir Shah as owners, with Madhukar Shree as managing partner.
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Ravichandran Ashwin named captain of the Dublin franchise owned by Rahul Dravid
Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin is set to captain the Guardians, who will compete against teams from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Team owner Rahul Dravid spoke highly of having Ashwin as the team captain and mentor and stated that he wanted to build a team that Ashwin could run in his own way.
"What attracted me to ETPL was the larger vision behind it, the opportunity to help grow cricket in Europe by strengthening grassroots development and creating pathways for emerging talent across Ireland and Europe. Dublin already has a passionate cricketing community and enormous potential for growth.
I think we're lucky to have signed someone like Ashwin as a captain and a mentor. And we'll put a team around him that will allow him to lead the team and run the team in the way that he wants to," said Rahul Dravid at the press event.
Rahul Dravid not to get involved in the cricketing side with the Dublin franchise
As he takes on a new role as the owner of the Dublin Guardians squad in the European T20 League (ETPL), Dravid thinks he won't join the cricket team because he wants captain Ravichandran Ashwin to have total autonomy when making choices.
Dravid also revealed that he will not be seen in the dugout of the team or be at every practice session with other players. He even stated that he might not even attend every game the team plays.
"I think honestly, the plan is for me not actually to get involved in the cricketing side of things. So to put together a good team that can do the job on a day-to-day basis. You certainly won't see me in the dugout. And I'm not someone who's going to be there at every practice session or, for that matter, not there for even every game." Dravid was very clear about what kind of team owner he wants to be.
The league anticipates stars like Mitchell Marsh, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen, and Mitchell Santner on the field, providing European and associate nation athletes with a unique opportunity to train with the top players in the globe.
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