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Europe just got its own version of the IPL, and the first ever player draft for it wrapped up on July 2. The European T20 Premier League is a brand new franchise tournament bringing together Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands under one competition, and the inaugural season runs from August 26 to September 20, 2026.
Six city based franchises just finished building the local core of their squads through a structured draft, and some genuinely big international names have already signed on as marquee players and captains. Here’s everything you need to know, explained in plain terms.
What Is The ETPL And Why Does This Draft Matter
The European T20 Premier League brings together the best local talent from three of the strongest associate cricket nations, Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, and pairs them with big name international stars. Instead of a traditional auction where teams bid against each other for players, the ETPL used a draft system, which works a bit differently and is worth explaining properly if you haven’t followed one before.
In an auction, like you’d see in the IPL, teams bid money against each other and whoever offers the most gets the player. In a draft, teams take turns picking players in a set order, and once a player is picked by a team, no other team can take them. There’s no bidding war, no back and forth. You just wait for your turn and pick the best player still available.
How The Draft Actually Worked
This was what’s called a snake draft, which just means the pick order flips after every round. So if Team A picks first in round one, they’ll pick last in round two, and first again in round three, and so on. This is done specifically to keep things fair, because otherwise whichever team picked first every single round would have a huge unfair advantage.
The very first pick of the whole draft, deciding which team got to choose first, was decided by a random draw of lots, basically like pulling a name out of a hat. Once the draft started, each team got five minutes to make their pick, with a short 30 second break before the next team’s turn.
Over six rounds, all six franchises picked six local players each, meaning 36 players total went through the draft. On top of these drafted players, teams are allowed up to 12 total players affiliated with Cricket Ireland, Cricket Scotland or the Dutch cricket board, and every team must have between 6 and 8 local players in that group. When it comes to actually playing matches, each team has to field 7 local players in their starting XI alongside 4 international marquee stars, so this isn’t a league where local talent gets pushed to the sidelines. They’re built right into the core of every team.
ETPL Player Salaries
This is one of the more interesting parts of the whole system, and it’s very different from how the IPL or most T20 leagues handle money. Instead of players getting paid based on how much a team is willing to bid for them, ETPL salaries are fixed entirely by which round a player gets picked in.
Here’s the full breakdown of what each round pays:
| Draft Round | Player Salary |
|---|---|
| Round 1 | USD $55,000 |
| Round 2 | USD $50,000 |
| Round 3 | USD $45,000 |
| Round 4 | USD $40,000 |
| Round 5 | USD $35,000 |
| Round 6 | USD $30,000 |
| Round 7 | USD $25,000 |
| Round 8 | USD $20,000 |
In simple terms, get picked earlier, get paid more. No team can offer a player extra money to convince them to sign, because the pay is locked in by the round alone. This actually makes a lot of sense for a brand new league trying to build trust with players and keep things fair from day one. Nobody has to worry about a rival team throwing more cash around. Every franchise also has a total seasonal salary budget of USD $1.48 million, though only part of that goes toward these draft picked local players. The rest is set aside separately for signing the marquee international stars.
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The Six ETPL 2026 Teams
- Amsterdam Flames
- Rotterdam Dockers
- Dublin Guardians
- Belfast Wolves
- Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Glasgow Cosmic
Three cricketing nations, six cities, all coming together under one league for the very first time.
Every Player Picked In The Draft, Round By Round
Round 1
- Curtis Campher (All-rounder, Ireland) to Amsterdam Flames
- Jai Moondra (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Rotterdam Dockers
- Benjamin Calitz (Wicketkeeper, Ireland) to Dublin Guardians
- Matthew Humphreys (Bowler, Ireland) to Belfast Wolves
- Gareth Delany (All-rounder, Ireland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Brad Currie (Bowler, Scotland) to Glasgow Cosmic
Round 2
- Kyle Klein (Bowler, Netherlands) to Amsterdam Flames
- Michael Levitt (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Rotterdam Dockers
- George Dockrell (All-rounder, Ireland) to Dublin Guardians
- Fred Klaassen (Bowler, Netherlands) to Belfast Wolves
- Ross Adair (Batter, Ireland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Matthew Cross (Wicketkeeper, Scotland) to Glasgow Cosmic
Round 3
- Tim Pringle (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Amsterdam Flames
- Ryan Klein (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Rotterdam Dockers
- Matthew Hollard (Bowler, Ireland) to Dublin Guardians
- Tim Tector (Batter, Ireland) to Belfast Wolves
- Jack Jarvis (All-rounder, Scotland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Paul van Meekeren (Bowler, Netherlands) to Glasgow Cosmic
Round 4
- Aryan Dutt (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Amsterdam Flames
- Jasper Davidson (All-rounder, Scotland) to Rotterdam Dockers
- Craig Young (Bowler, Ireland) to Dublin Guardians
- Paul Stirling (Batter, Ireland) to Belfast Wolves
- Charlie Tear (Wicketkeeper, Scotland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Michael Leask (All-rounder, Scotland) to Glasgow Cosmic
Round 5
- Jordan Neill (All-rounder, Ireland) to Amsterdam Flames
- Vikramjit Singh (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Rotterdam Dockers
- Noah Croes (Wicketkeeper, Netherlands) to Dublin Guardians
- Zainullah Ihsan (Bowler, Scotland) to Belfast Wolves
- Safyaan Sharif (All-rounder, Scotland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Oliver Davidson (All-rounder, Scotland) to Glasgow Cosmic
Round 6
- Max O’Dowd (Batter, Netherlands) to Amsterdam Flames
- Saqib Zulfiqar (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Rotterdam Dockers
- Chris Greaves (All-rounder, Scotland) to Dublin Guardians
- Alexander Roy (All-rounder, Netherlands) to Belfast Wolves
- Finlay McCreath (Batter, Scotland) to Edinburgh Castle Rockers
- Chris McBride (All-rounder, Scotland) to Glasgow Cosmic
The single biggest storyline out of round one is Paul Stirling, one of Ireland’s most established international batters, only going in round four to Belfast Wolves. That’s a genuinely big name landing well below where you might expect based on reputation alone, and it shows just how deep the talent pool was across these three cricketing nations.
Marquee International Signings And Captains
Alongside the draft, every franchise has been locking in overseas superstars and naming their captains. Here’s who has been confirmed so far for each team.
Edinburgh Castle Rockers: Mitchell Santner (captain), Brandon McMullen, Tom Bruce, Tom Curran, Andries Gous, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, JJ Smuts, Trent Boult
Belfast Wolves: Glenn Maxwell (captain), with more signings still to be announced
Dublin Guardians: Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), Lorcan Tucker, with more signings still to be announced
Rotterdam Dockers: Anrich Nortje, Donovan Ferreira, Mitchell Owen, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shubham Ranjane, David Wiese, Ben Manenti, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek
Amsterdam Flames: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Yuvraaj Samra, Steve Smith, Tim David, David Payne, Michael Bracewell, Ali Hassan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards
Glasgow Cosmic: Ali Khan, Richie Berrington, Finn Allen, George Munsey, Gerhard Erasmus, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Keshav Maharaj, Kamindu Mendis, Lungi Ngidi, Liam Livingstone, Duan Jansen
Amsterdam Flames and Glasgow Cosmic both look absolutely stacked on paper already, with genuine international stars across batting, bowling and captaincy, while Belfast Wolves and Dublin Guardians have only revealed their headline signings so far, with more still expected.
ETPL 2026 Squads
Dublin Guardians: Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), Lorcan Tucker, Benjamin Calitz, George Dockrell, Matthew Hollard, Craig Young, Noah Croes, Chris Greaves, with more still to be announced
Belfast Wolves: Glenn Maxwell (captain), Matthew Humphreys, Fred Klaassen, Tim Tector, Paul Stirling, Zainullah Ihsan, Alexander Roy, with more still to be announced
Edinburgh Castle Rockers: Mitchell Santner (captain), Brandon McMullen, Tom Bruce, Tom Curran, Andries Gous, Khuzaima Bin Tanveer, JJ Smuts, Trent Boult, Gareth Delany, Ross Adair, Jack Jarvis, Charlie Tear, Safyaan Sharif, Finlay McCreath
Amsterdam Flames: Mitchell Marsh (captain), Yuvraaj Samra, Steve Smith, Tim David, David Payne, Michael Bracewell, Ali Hassan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Bas de Leede, Scott Edwards, Curtis Campher, Kyle Klein, Tim Pringle, Aryan Dutt, Jordan Neill, Max O’Dowd
Glasgow Cosmic: Ali Khan, Richie Berrington, Finn Allen, George Munsey, Gerhard Erasmus, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Keshav Maharaj, Kamindu Mendis, Lungi Ngidi, Liam Livingstone, Duan Jansen, Brad Currie, Matthew Cross, Paul van Meekeren, Michael Leask, Oliver Davidson, Chris McBride
Rotterdam Dockers: Anrich Nortje, Donovan Ferreira, Mitchell Owen, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shubham Ranjane, David Wiese, Ben Manenti, Roelof van der Merwe, Logan van Beek, Jai Moondra, Michael Levitt, Ryan Klein, Jasper Davidson, Vikramjit Singh, Saqib Zulfiqar
What Happens Next
Squads are still being finalized, with Belfast Wolves and Dublin Guardians both expected to confirm more overseas signings soon. Once every team’s full roster is locked in, expect full squad reviews, strength rankings and match previews as the August 26 start date gets closer. This is genuinely the first time European domestic cricket has had a tournament with this level of star power attached to it, so it’s worth keeping an eye on over the next few weeks as things take shape.
FANTASY
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What is the ETPL 2026 Player Draft?
The ETPL 2026 Player Draft is the official player selection process for the inaugural European T20 Premier League. Instead of an auction, the six franchises selected local players through a structured snake draft, ensuring every team had a balanced squad before the tournament begins.
How is the ETPL draft different from the IPL auction?
Unlike the IPL auction, where franchises bid against each other, the ETPL uses a draft system. Teams take turns selecting available players in each round, and once a player is chosen, no other franchise can sign them. This format creates a fair and balanced player distribution across all teams.
How are player salaries decided in the ETPL 2026 draft?
ETPL player salaries are fixed according to the draft round in which a player is selected. Earlier draft picks receive higher salaries, while later-round selections earn a predetermined lower amount. This system removes bidding wars and keeps franchise spending transparent.
Which teams are participating in the ETPL 2026 season?
The inaugural ETPL season features six franchises representing Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands: Amsterdam Flames, Rotterdam Dockers, Dublin Guardians, Belfast Wolves, Edinburgh Castle Rockers and Glasgow Cosmic. Each team combines local talent with international marquee players.
When will the European T20 Premier League 2026 begin?
The first edition of the European T20 Premier League is scheduled to begin on 26 August 2026 and will run until 20 September 2026. Fans can expect a month of exciting T20 cricket featuring international stars alongside Europe’s top domestic cricketers.