Legendary cricket icons, Rahul Dravid and Faf du Plessis, expressed their excitement heading into the inaugural edition of the ETPL (European T20 Premier League).
Dravid is the owner of the Dublin Guardians, a team that is going to be led by legendary Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The former stated that there is commendable passion for the sport in Europe and the ETPL will give opportunities to talented cricketers to showcase their skills while rubbing shoulders with some of the greats of the game.
Dravid asserted that he would want his team to play a brand of cricket that will entertain the fans and for that to happen, he believes that it is important for the players to enjoy themselves.
“I think one of the things about the ETPL is that it’s in a region which already has a rich tradition and history of the game. There’s a really vibrant club culture here, including so many of the local population who play the sport. I think there’s a tremendous passion and a love for the game in the continent. It’s a really good opportunity, I believe, to create opportunities for a lot of the talent to be able to flourish and come onto the world stage,” Dravid said in a video shared by ETPL.
“One of the things we really want to do is ensure everyone enjoys their cricket here and has a lot of fun playing the sport, and we want to entertain the fans. We want them to have a great experience, both on and off the field. We want them to watch some great, exciting cricket, and I think if the players are enjoying themselves, if the players are happy, then we’ll see that on the field,” he added.
‘Why would you not want to play cricket in Europe?’ – Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis, who is one of the co-owners of Rotterdam Dockers, explained two things which compelled him to associate with ETPL. The first one was the opportunity to contribute in the growth of cricket in Europe and the second one was the chance to get into a new role as co-owner of a franchise.
“When this opportunity came around, I was like, ‘It sounds great.’ Why would you not want to play cricket in Europe? There are some great cities there and, for a circuit player like myself, you want to go to cool places for the game you love. So, first of all, I would love to go and play cricket there. The opportunity for the growth that can happen in Europe and for cricket there was the first thing,” the former South African captain said.
“Then the second thing was, ‘Would you actually be interested in being a co-owner?’ I was like, ‘That’s actually very intriguing,’ because now you’re playing all these leagues around the world, but how do you get players to commit to the longevity of the tournament, to be all in? Players move around, and there are so many opportunities now when it comes to leagues. So, being part of something new, something fresh, gives you a great opportunity to take all your experience from playing in leagues around the world, take all the good, and try to bring it into a new tournament,” he added.
The inaugural edition of the six-team tournament is set to commence on August 26 and the final will be played on September 20.
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